thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-15--COVID-19 Immunization Rollout Expands As Cities Work To Ease Skepticism

NEWARK , N.J. ( Reuters ) - The United States expanded its rollout of the newly approved COVID-19 vaccine to hundreds of additional distribution centers on Tuesday , inoculating thousands more healthcare workers in a mass immunization expected to reach the general public in the coming months .
Distribution of the vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc and German partner BioNTech SE began on Monday , three days after it won U.S. emergency-use authorization , opening a new front in the battle against a pandemic claiming more than 2,400 U.S. lives a day .
“ As a polio survivor , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Whenever my turn comes , I will absolutely take the vaccine and do my part to reassure anyone who ’ s doubtful .
It ’ s the right thing to do for yourself , for your family , and for the country , ” Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said on Twitter .
At University Hospital in Newark , New Jersey , emergency room nurse Maritza Beniquez on Tuesday became the first person in that state to receive the vaccine in one of numerous such made-for-TV moments playing out across the country .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ this moment to hit New Jersey .
I couldn ’ t wait for it to hit the U.S. , ” Beniquez said as she was vaccinated with Governor Phil Murphy looking on .
Initial doses have been earmarked for doctors , nurses and other front-line medical professionals , along with residents and staff of nursing homes .
Other essential workers , senior citizens and individuals with chronic medical conditions will be next in line .
It will take several months , perhaps until late spring , before vaccines can be obtained on demand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials have said .
In the meantime , a surge of infections and hospitalizations - approaching 111,000 patients in treatment on Tuesday - continued to strain healthcare systems to the brink of collapse in cities and rural areas across the country .
In California , where many hospitals had little or no capacity available in their intensive care units , the state has ordered scores of refrigerator storage trailers for corpses and distributed 5,000 body bags to San Diego , Los Angeles and Inyo counties , Governor Gavin Newsom said .
Newsom said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ among county coroners and opened discussions with the federal government about sending a military medical ship back to the shores of the hard-hit state .
A bipartisan group of seven governors - from Illinois , Michigan , Indiana , Kentucky , Minnesota , Ohio and Wisconsin - released a joint video on social media on Tuesday urging residents to avoid unnecessary travel and social gatherings outside their households “ until we eradicate this virus once and for all.
” Another vaccine , from Moderna Inc , appeared set for regulatory authorization this week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ endorsed it as safe and effective in documents released on Tuesday .
Similar to the Pfizer vaccine , it requires two doses several weeks apart .
By late on Monday , shipments of the Pfizer vaccine , which requires sub-Arctic-level refrigeration , had arrived at nearly all of the 145 U.S. distribution sites pre-selected to receive the initial batch of doses .
A second round of shipments went out on Tuesday destined for 425 more distribution hubs and a third round was headed for 66 additional sites on Wednesday .
In all , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doses delivered by week ’ s end .
In addition to the logistical challenges posed by an inoculation program of unparalleled scope - surpassing the childhood polio immunization campaign of the 1950s and ’ 60s - health authorities face the monumental task of overcoming widespread skepticism about vaccines in general .
Some Americans believe the pandemic is a hoax and reject public health guidelines to wear masks and avoid crowds .
Only 61 % of respondents in a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll said they were open to getting vaccinated .
“ People understandably are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have to keep emphasizing speed means the science was extraordinary , ” Dr. Anthony Fauci , director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , told ABC News ’ “ Good Morning America ” on Tuesday .

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NEWARK, N.J. (Reuters) - The United States expanded its rollout of the newly approved COVID-19 vaccine to hundreds of additional distribution centers on Tuesday, inoculating thousands more healthcare workers in a mass immunization expected to reach the general public in the coming months.
Distribution of the vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc and German partner BioNTech SE began on Monday, three days after it won U.S. emergency-use authorization, opening a new front in the battle against a pandemic claiming more than 2,400 U.S. lives a day.
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Political leaders and medical authorities have launched a two-pronged media blitz avowing the safety of the vaccines while urging Americans to remain diligent about social distancing and mask-wearing until inoculations become widely available.
“As a polio survivor, I am a huge supporter of vaccinations. Whenever my turn comes, I will absolutely take the vaccine and do my part to reassure anyone who’s doubtful. It’s the right thing to do for yourself, for your family, and for the country,” Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said on Twitter.
At University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey, emergency room nurse Maritza Beniquez on Tuesday became the first person in that state to receive the vaccine in one of numerous such made-for-TV moments playing out across the country.
“I couldn’t wait for this moment to hit New Jersey. I couldn’t wait for it to hit the U.S.,” Beniquez said as she was vaccinated with Governor Phil Murphy looking on.
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Initial doses have been earmarked for doctors, nurses and other front-line medical professionals, along with residents and staff of nursing homes. Other essential workers, senior citizens and individuals with chronic medical conditions will be next in line.
It will take several months, perhaps until late spring, before vaccines can be obtained on demand by the public at large, U.S. officials have said.
In the meantime, a surge of infections and hospitalizations - approaching 111,000 patients in treatment on Tuesday - continued to strain healthcare systems to the brink of collapse in cities and rural areas across the country.
Nationwide, the highly contagious respiratory virus has killed 301,085 people and infected at least 16.5 million as of Monday, according to a Reuters tally of official data.
REFRIGERATOR UNITS, BODY BAGS
In California, where many hospitals had little or no capacity available in their intensive care units, the state has ordered scores of refrigerator storage trailers for corpses and distributed 5,000 body bags to San Diego, Los Angeles and Inyo counties, Governor Gavin Newsom said.
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Newsom said the state also has activated mass-fatality compacts among county coroners and opened discussions with the federal government about sending a military medical ship back to the shores of the hard-hit state.
A bipartisan group of seven governors - from Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin - released a joint video on social media on Tuesday urging residents to avoid unnecessary travel and social gatherings outside their households “until we eradicate this virus once and for all.”
Another vaccine, from Moderna Inc, appeared set for regulatory authorization this week after U.S. Food and Drug Administration staff endorsed it as safe and effective in documents released on Tuesday. Similar to the Pfizer vaccine, it requires two doses several weeks apart.
By late on Monday, shipments of the Pfizer vaccine, which requires sub-Arctic-level refrigeration, had arrived at nearly all of the 145 U.S. distribution sites pre-selected to receive the initial batch of doses.
A second round of shipments went out on Tuesday destined for 425 more distribution hubs and a third round was headed for 66 additional sites on Wednesday. In all, U.S. officials aim to get 2.9 million doses delivered by week’s end.
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In addition to the logistical challenges posed by an inoculation program of unparalleled scope - surpassing the childhood polio immunization campaign of the 1950s and ’60s - health authorities face the monumental task of overcoming widespread skepticism about vaccines in general.
Some Americans believe the pandemic is a hoax and reject public health guidelines to wear masks and avoid crowds. Only 61% of respondents in a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll said they were open to getting vaccinated.
While most vaccines take years to develop, the Pfizer vaccine arrived less than a year after the illness was traced to a market in Wuhan, China, late last year.
“People understandably are skeptical about the speed, but we have to keep emphasizing speed means the science was extraordinary,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told ABC News’ “Good Morning America” on Tuesday.
The pandemic has wreaked economic havoc as states and localities imposed sweeping stay-at-home orders and closed businesses to tamp down the contagion, putting millions out of work.
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In Washington, McConnell told reporters lawmakers would not adjourn for the year until they have agreed on a fresh package of coronavirus relief for the unemployed and small businesses, which he hoped could be attached to a larger government funding bill.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-16--Mike Pence Gets A Fact Check After Calling COVID-19 Vaccine A 'Medical Miracle'

This was not a miracle .
This was science and hard work .
And , just so you know , @ @ @ @ @ this long no matter who was President .
The difference is that fewer people would @ @ @ @ @ of leadership .
https : //t.co/8m9JDLq9Nw

This was not a miracle. This was science and hard work. And, just so you know, this vaccine would have taken this long no matter who was President. The difference is that fewer people would now be dead from lack of leadership. https://t.co/8m9JDLq9Nw


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-16--Hillary Clinton Tells How It Felt Casting Her Electoral College Vote Against Trump

Hillary Clinton admitted Tuesday that casting her Electoral College vote for Joe Biden to make him the next president ― and consigning President Donald Trump to a one-term presidency ― felt “ pretty poetic.
” Clinton beat Trump in the 2016 election popular vote by almost 3 million , but lost the Electoral College vote .
Her comment about her electoral vote this year came in response to political pundit Alex Mohajer ’ s tweet that “ the poetic justice ” is “ not at all lost on me.
” Clinton cast her vote Monday alongside her husband , former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a call for the Electoral College to be abolished .
The president should be selected “ by the winner of the popular vote , same as every other office , ” said Clinton : I believe we should abolish the Electoral College and select our president by the winner of the popular vote , same as every other office .
But while it still exists , I was proud to cast my vote in New York for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris .
pic.twitter.com/th9qebu9ka — Hillary Clinton ( @ HillaryClinton ) December 14 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ College vote , 306 to 232 .
After his victory , he repeatedly promoted baseless conspiracy theories about mass voter fraud and claimed to have won in a “ landslide.
” Biden flipped the Electoral College result to defeat Trump by the same margin this year .
In the 2020 popular vote , Biden received 81.2 million votes to Trump ’ s 74.2 million .
Trump has refused to concede and has repeatedly lied that he actually won the election .

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Hillary Clinton admitted Tuesday that casting her Electoral College vote for Joe Biden to make him the next president ― and consigning President Donald Trump to a one-term presidency ― felt “pretty poetic.”
Clinton beat Trump in the 2016 election popular vote by almost 3 million, but lost the Electoral College vote. Her comment about her electoral vote this year came in response to political pundit Alex Mohajer’s tweet that “the poetic justice” is “not at all lost on me.”
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It felt pretty poetic. https://t.co/Ktugcwfw2t — Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) December 15, 2020
Clinton cast her vote Monday alongside her husband, former President Bill Clinton. She later tweeted a call for the Electoral College to be abolished.
The president should be selected “by the winner of the popular vote, same as every other office,” said Clinton:
I believe we should abolish the Electoral College and select our president by the winner of the popular vote, same as every other office.
But while it still exists, I was proud to cast my vote in New York for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. pic.twitter.com/th9qebu9ka — Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) December 14, 2020
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Trump won the 2016 Electoral College vote, 306 to 232. After his victory, he repeatedly promoted baseless conspiracy theories about mass voter fraud and claimed to have won in a “landslide.”
Biden flipped the Electoral College result to defeat Trump by the same margin this year.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-15--Trump Considers Urging Acting AG To Appoint Special Counsel For Hunter Biden

Beyond appointing a special prosecutor to investigate the younger Biden , the sources said Trump is interested in having another special counsel appointed to look into his own baseless claims of election fraud .
But if he ’ s expecting his newly named acting attorney general to go further than Barr on either matter , he could end up quickly disappointed .
Barr on Monday evening announced he will resign effective next week , revealing his plans about a week after Hunter Biden publicly disclosed that he was under investigation related to his finances .
It is generally Justice Department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in progress , though the subjects of those investigations can .
Rosen , the deputy attorney general , will step into the Justice Department ’ s top job in an acting role .
A longtime litigator , he has served as Barr ’ s top deputy since May 2019 but largely shies away from the spotlight .
He said in a statement Tuesday he was “ honored ” to serve and “ will continue to focus on the implementation of the Department ’ s key priorities.
” Trump is still weighing his options @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make the special counsel appointment or , if needed , to replace the acting attorney general with someone more likely to carry out his wishes .
He has even asked his team of lawyers , including personal attorney Rudy Giuliani , to look into whether the president has the power to appoint a special counsel himself .
A key question will be whether Rosen can stand up to presidential pressure — and potentially withering attacks — in the waning weeks of the Trump administration .
If not , Rosen could be cast aside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do Trump ’ s bidding .
Believing that a special counsel probe could wound a Biden administration before it even begins , Trump aides have urged the president to push for one , which would make it so the investigation can ’ t be easily stopped by the incoming president .
No firm decision has been made .
Trump announced that Barr would be stepping down from his position on Dec. 23 , amid lingering tension between the president and the attorney general over the Hunter Biden investigation .
Trump was angry for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Hunter Biden tax investigation before the election but did not disclose it .
He also was unhappy that Barr said in a widely reported interview with the AP that the Justice Department had not uncovered widespread election fraud that would have affected the results of the election .
For much of his tenure , Barr was perceived as one of the president ’ s most loyal Cabinet members , especially after he framed the results of Robert Mueller ’ s Russia investigation in a manner favorable to Trump even though the special @ @ @ @ @ @ @ obstruction of justice .
It was Barr who first appointed a U.S. attorney to review the case against former national security adviser Michael Flynn and then sought to dismiss the criminal charges against Flynn , who twice pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI .
As Barr exits , the biggest thing by far hanging over the Trump Justice Department is its investigation into Hunter Biden , which involves multiple U.S. attorney offices and FBI field offices .
Appointing a special counsel could prove to be complicated , requiring consolidating different investigatory angles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the probe and get up to speed .
Under federal regulations , a special counsel can be fired only by the attorney general and for specific reasons such as misconduct , dereliction of duty or conflict of interest ― reasons that must be spelled out in writing .
Appointing a special counsel for the Hunter Biden probe would also signal a more prolonged and complicated investigation than the current inquiry , so far largely centered on his taxes .
A subpoena seeking documents from the younger Biden asked for information related to more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gas company Burisma .
Either way , the probe is complicating Joe Biden ’ s pick for attorney general , upon whose shoulders this probe would land .
Any nominee for attorney general is likely to face a mountain of questions at a confirmation hearing about how they would oversee the probe .
It could be that Rosen is left in the position for a few weeks after Biden is sworn in on Jan. 20 .
If Trump doesn ’ t fire him , that is .
Rosen has been the public face @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s biggest actions , including its antitrust case against Google and the criminal case against opioid maker Purdue Pharma .
Before joining the Justice Department , he worked at the Department of Transportation as general counsel and then deputy secretary .
At Rosen ’ s confirmation hearing in 2019 , he suggested that he was willing to rebuff political pressure from the White House , if necessary .
He told legislators that criminal investigations should “ proceed on the facts and the law ” and that prosecutions should be “ free of improper @ @ @ @

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is considering pushing to have a special counsel appointed to advance a federal tax investigation into the son of President-elect Joe Biden, setting up a potential showdown with incoming acting attorney general Jeffrey Rosen.
Trump — angry that out-going Attorney General William Barr didn’t publicly announce the ongoing, two-year investigation into Hunter Biden — has consulted on the matter with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, White House counsel Pat Cipollone and outside allies.
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That’s according to several Trump administration officials and Republicans close to the White House who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss private matters.
Beyond appointing a special prosecutor to investigate the younger Biden, the sources said Trump is interested in having another special counsel appointed to look into his own baseless claims of election fraud. But if he’s expecting his newly named acting attorney general to go further than Barr on either matter, he could end up quickly disappointed.
Barr on Monday evening announced he will resign effective next week, revealing his plans about a week after Hunter Biden publicly disclosed that he was under investigation related to his finances. It is generally Justice Department policy not to disclose investigations that are in progress, though the subjects of those investigations can.
Rosen, the deputy attorney general, will step into the Justice Department’s top job in an acting role. A longtime litigator, he has served as Barr’s top deputy since May 2019 but largely shies away from the spotlight. He said in a statement Tuesday he was “honored” to serve and “will continue to focus on the implementation of the Department’s key priorities.”
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Trump is still weighing his options, considering whether to pressure Rosen to make the special counsel appointment or, if needed, to replace the acting attorney general with someone more likely to carry out his wishes. He has even asked his team of lawyers, including personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, to look into whether the president has the power to appoint a special counsel himself.
A key question will be whether Rosen can stand up to presidential pressure — and potentially withering attacks — in the waning weeks of the Trump administration. If not, Rosen could be cast aside in favor of others more willing to do Trump’s bidding.
Believing that a special counsel probe could wound a Biden administration before it even begins, Trump aides have urged the president to push for one, which would make it so the investigation can’t be easily stopped by the incoming president. No firm decision has been made.
Trump announced that Barr would be stepping down from his position on Dec. 23, amid lingering tension between the president and the attorney general over the Hunter Biden investigation. Trump was angry for days after learning that Barr knew of the Hunter Biden tax investigation before the election but did not disclose it.
He also was unhappy that Barr said in a widely reported interview with the AP that the Justice Department had not uncovered widespread election fraud that would have affected the results of the election.
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For much of his tenure, Barr was perceived as one of the president’s most loyal Cabinet members, especially after he framed the results of Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation in a manner favorable to Trump even though the special counsel did not exonerate the president of obstruction of justice. It was Barr who first appointed a U.S. attorney to review the case against former national security adviser Michael Flynn and then sought to dismiss the criminal charges against Flynn, who twice pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.
As Barr exits, the biggest thing by far hanging over the Trump Justice Department is its investigation into Hunter Biden, which involves multiple U.S. attorney offices and FBI field offices. Appointing a special counsel could prove to be complicated, requiring consolidating different investigatory angles and bringing in someone new to run the probe and get up to speed.
Under federal regulations, a special counsel can be fired only by the attorney general and for specific reasons such as misconduct, dereliction of duty or conflict of interest ― reasons that must be spelled out in writing. Appointing a special counsel for the Hunter Biden probe would also signal a more prolonged and complicated investigation than the current inquiry, so far largely centered on his taxes. A subpoena seeking documents from the younger Biden asked for information related to more than two dozen entities, including Ukraine gas company Burisma.
Either way, the probe is complicating Joe Biden’s pick for attorney general, upon whose shoulders this probe would land. Any nominee for attorney general is likely to face a mountain of questions at a confirmation hearing about how they would oversee the probe.
It could be that Rosen is left in the position for a few weeks after Biden is sworn in on Jan. 20. If Trump doesn’t fire him, that is.
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Rosen has been the public face of some of the Justice Department’s biggest actions, including its antitrust case against Google and the criminal case against opioid maker Purdue Pharma. Before joining the Justice Department, he worked at the Department of Transportation as general counsel and then deputy secretary.
At Rosen’s confirmation hearing in 2019, he suggested that he was willing to rebuff political pressure from the White House, if necessary. He told legislators that criminal investigations should “proceed on the facts and the law” and that prosecutions should be “free of improper political influences.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-16--David Perdue Edits Out His Asia Experience From Senate Campaign Ad

Sen. David Perdue ( R-Ga. ) is out with a new biographical campaign video touting his family roots and his successful business career as he fights to hold on to his seat ahead of a Jan. 5 runoff against Democrat Jon Ossoff .
The biographical information is nearly identical to a video he put out in 2014 , with a key difference : The new one removes a mention of the two years he spent in Hong Kong working for Sara Lee and takes out a picture of him and his wife at the Great Wall of China .
Sen. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ picture in his 2014 ad , but he removed it from a nearly identical ad for this campaign .
The 2014 video has a section about how David and Bonnie “ set out for the world and added two sons along the way.
” “ For Sara Lee , David led their expansion into Asia , living in Hong Kong for two years , ” the narrator says at 1:45 into the video .
The new video , released last week , skips right from the part about setting out to see the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his experience at Reebok , omitting any mention of his time in Hong Kong .
Watch the new video : Fearmongering about China has been a central theme of Perdue ’ s campaign , so a picture of him at the Great Wall and boasts about time spent in Asia aren ’ t politically convenient .
Perdue has accused Ossoff of being funded by the Chinese government and endorsed by the Communist Party .
Perdue is basing his first claim on a public company in Hong Kong that paid to license two documentaries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ossoff ’ s film company .
The transaction was not initially in Ossoff ’ s financial disclosure forms but was included in an update .
“ These were aired by television broadcasters all over the world , ” Ossoff said in October .
“ He [ Perdue ] is cherry-picking that there was one Asian TV channel that aired our documentary.
” Perdue actually has had significant work with Asia during his career .
From 2002 to 2003 , he was CEO of Pillowtex , a failed North Carolina textile manufacturer .
There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ essentially outsource the company ’ s manufacturing operations to cheaper foreign factories , especially in Asia .
In 2014 , Perdue ’ s then-campaign manager insisted that the comments about outsourcing referred to a “ company contracting with an outside source , not the direct shift of jobs overseas.
” In that deposition , Perdue also talked about his work with other companies importing goods from Asia ― including from China ― dealing with companies as far away as Japan , and his time living in Singapore and Hong Kong .
The Perdue-Ossoff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a majority of the votes in November ― is one of two Senate contests on the ballot in January .
The other is between Sen. Kelly Loeffler ( R ) and Democrat Raphael Warnock , who are competing for an open seat that Loeffler has temporarily filled since January .

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Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) is out with a new biographical campaign video touting his family roots and his successful business career as he fights to hold on to his seat ahead of a Jan. 5 runoff against Democrat Jon Ossoff.
The biographical information is nearly identical to a video he put out in 2014, with a key difference: The new one removes a mention of the two years he spent in Hong Kong working for Sara Lee and takes out a picture of him and his wife at the Great Wall of China.
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Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) put this picture in his 2014 ad, but he removed it from a nearly identical ad for this campaign. David Perdue Senate campaign ad
The 2014 video has a section about how David and Bonnie “set out for the world and added two sons along the way.”
“For Sara Lee, David led their expansion into Asia, living in Hong Kong for two years,” the narrator says at 1:45 into the video.
“It sure wasn’t Georgia,” quips Bonnie.
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The new video, released last week, skips right from the part about setting out to see the world and adding to their family to his experience at Reebok, omitting any mention of his time in Hong Kong. Watch the new video:
The Perdue campaign did not return a request for comment, and Ossoff’s campaign declined to comment.
Fearmongering about China has been a central theme of Perdue’s campaign, so a picture of him at the Great Wall and boasts about time spent in Asia aren’t politically convenient. Perdue has accused Ossoff of being funded by the Chinese government and endorsed by the Communist Party.
“He’ll never hold China accountable or deal with our foreign policy with a straight-up perspective,” Perdue told Fox News.
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But both of Perdue’s claims are false.
Perdue is basing his first claim on a public company in Hong Kong that paid to license two documentaries about war crimes by ISIS terrorists from Ossoff’s film company. The transaction was not initially in Ossoff’s financial disclosure forms but was included in an update.
“These were aired by television broadcasters all over the world,” Ossoff said in October. “He [Perdue] is cherry-picking that there was one Asian TV channel that aired our documentary.”
Ossoff was also never endorsed by the Communist Party USA.
Perdue actually has had significant work with Asia during his career. From 2002 to 2003, he was CEO of Pillowtex, a failed North Carolina textile manufacturer. There, part of his job was to essentially outsource the company’s manufacturing operations to cheaper foreign factories, especially in Asia.
In a 2005 deposition, when asked about his “experience with outsourcing,” Perdue bluntly admitted, “Yeah, I spent most of my career doing that.”
In 2014, Perdue’s then-campaign manager insisted that the comments about outsourcing referred to a “company contracting with an outside source, not the direct shift of jobs overseas.”
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In that deposition, Perdue also talked about his work with other companies importing goods from Asia ― including from China ― dealing with companies as far away as Japan, and his time living in Singapore and Hong Kong.
And during his time with Sara Lee, Perdue oversaw a restructuring that closed factories in places like Georgia while expanding operations in Asia.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-16--Anderson Cooper Gives Scathing 'Slow Clap' To Mitch McConnell For Accepting Trump's Loss

CNN ’ s Anderson Cooper gave Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell a very sarcastic and figurative round of applause Tuesday after the Kentucky Republican finally congratulated Joe Biden on becoming president-elect .
“ So , six weeks , dozens of court cases , two Supreme Court rejections , one fascist rally , four stabbings , countless threats against election officials who were just doing their jobs and more than $ 200 million in deceptive Trump fundraising since the election : A slow clap , everyone , for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , ” the anchor said on “ Anderson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Donald Trump ’ s reelection loss until Monday , after the Electoral College solidified Biden ’ s win , despite virtually every major news outlet calling that result on Nov. 7 , four days after Election Day .
He encouraged Trump at the time to challenge the election results even though there was no evidence to support the president ’ s conspiracy theories about widespread voter fraud .
CNN ’ s @ andersoncooper on Sen. Mitch McConnell finally accepting Joe Biden won the election , after stating for weeks to let `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump abused it : “ He could ’ ve helped ease that strain , but he didn ’ t , hence the slow clap today.
” # KeepingThemHonest pic.twitter.com/jOCZxefPCd — Anderson Cooper 360° ( @ AC360 ) December 16 , 2020 “ A month he has been playing the game .
In the meantime , the system ... has been stretched to the breaking point .
At the president ’ s direction , to be sure , but with the majority leader ’ s acquiescence , ” Cooper said .
“ He could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but he didn ’ t. ” Some other Senate Republicans still won ’ t acknowledge Biden ’ s victory , even after the Electoral College formalized it .
Trump continued to claim he was the victim of a massive conspiracy to rig the election against him and has signaled he won ’ t concede .

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CNN’s Anderson Cooper gave Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell a very sarcastic and figurative round of applause Tuesday after the Kentucky Republican finally congratulated Joe Biden on becoming president-elect.
“So, six weeks, dozens of court cases, two Supreme Court rejections, one fascist rally, four stabbings, countless threats against election officials who were just doing their jobs and more than $200 million in deceptive Trump fundraising since the election: A slow clap, everyone, for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell,” the anchor said on “Anderson Cooper 360.”
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McConnell refused to acknowledge President Donald Trump’s reelection loss until Monday, after the Electoral College solidified Biden’s win, despite virtually every major news outlet calling that result on Nov. 7, four days after Election Day.
He encouraged Trump at the time to challenge the election results even though there was no evidence to support the president’s conspiracy theories about widespread voter fraud.
CNN’s @andersoncooper on Sen. Mitch McConnell finally accepting Joe Biden won the election, after stating for weeks to let "the system work" while Pres. Trump abused it:
“He could’ve helped ease that strain, but he didn’t, hence the slow clap today.” #KeepingThemHonest pic.twitter.com/jOCZxefPCd — Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) December 16, 2020
“A month he has been playing the game. In the meantime, the system ... has been stretched to the breaking point. At the president’s direction, to be sure, but with the majority leader’s acquiescence,” Cooper said. “He could’ve helped ease that strain, but he didn’t.”
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Cooper said McConnell’s words Monday amounted to the “bare minimum.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-16--Tucker Carlson Snarks That Jill Biden Is A Doctor 'In The Same Sense Dr. Pepper Is'

The incoming first lady , who has a doctorate in education , uses the title “ Dr. ” in her name .
A Wall Street Journal column last week suggested she drop it , igniting a sexism controversy , and former first ladies Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton jumped to her defense .
Carlson waded into the debate on his Fox News show Monday , mocking Biden for preferring the title even though she ’ s not a medical doctor .
“ Dr .
Jill Biden has the very same degree as Dr. Bill Cosby does , which is one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
He later piled on with a similar diss : “ Jill Biden is not a doctor , no .
Maybe in the same sense Dr. Pepper is.
” Fast forward the clip below to 3:00 and 22:00 for Carlson ’ s remarks .
Carlson ’ s soft drink barb and reference to a disgraced entertainer serving a prison sentence for indecent assault infuriated critics , with his name trending on social media late Tuesday .
Some took the prime time personality to school .
Tucker Carlson says Jill Biden `` is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pepper is '' .
Dude , I 've never seen you trending for a good reason .
You would n't last a day in a real PhD program — Dr. Asatar Bair ( @ asatarbair ) December 16 , 2020 I ’ d like to shake a can of Dr Pepper , open , and point .
Such complete BS .
Dr Biden has more class and grace than Tucker will ever have .
Ever .
Mean spirited and pointless commentary .
— Linda ( @ quarantineHQ ) December 16 , 2020 Tucker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a huckster who fraudulently claimed to be a Stanford Med School Advisor for `` analysis '' ( disinformation ) of it being a treatment .
If Trump put Dr. Pepper on the coronavirus task force , Tucker Carlson would defend it .
— Ella ( @ skylarker03 ) December 16 , 2020 Tucker Carlson wishes he had the intelligence of a Dr. Pepper .
Dr. Jill Biden is smart , classy , and amazing .
In the sassy tone of my aunt , `` Tucker Carlson talk sh !
t because he ai @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Olivia Grace ( @ GraceFaceOlivia ) December 16 , 2020 Tucker Carlson is so pressed , envious & fearful of a woman with a higher education than he has to say that Dr. Jill Biden is `` a doctor of education , which means basically nothing . ''
& '' Jill Biden is not a doctor , no .
Maybe in the same sense Dr Pepper is . ''
— 👽 ( @ __kayxtay ) December 16 , 2020

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The incoming first lady, who has a doctorate in education, uses the title “Dr.” in her name. A Wall Street Journal column last week suggested she drop it, igniting a sexism controversy, and former first ladies Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton jumped to her defense.
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Carlson waded into the debate on his Fox News show Monday, mocking Biden for preferring the title even though she’s not a medical doctor.
“Dr. Jill Biden has the very same degree as Dr. Bill Cosby does, which is one degree from Dr. Pepper,” he said.
He later piled on with a similar diss: “Jill Biden is not a doctor, no. Maybe in the same sense Dr. Pepper is.”
Fast forward the clip below to 3:00 and 22:00 for Carlson’s remarks.
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(HuffPost and other news organizations that follow The Associated Press style use the “Dr.” title in news articles only for medical doctors.)
Carlson’s soft drink barb and reference to a disgraced entertainer serving a prison sentence for indecent assault infuriated critics, with his name trending on social media late Tuesday. Some took the prime time personality to school.
Tucker Carlson says Jill Biden "is a doctor in the same sense Dr Pepper is". Dude, I've never seen you trending for a good reason. You wouldn't last a day in a real PhD program — Dr. Asatar Bair (@asatarbair) December 16, 2020
I’d like to shake a can of Dr Pepper, open, and point. Such complete BS.
Dr Biden has more class and grace than Tucker will ever have. Ever. Mean spirited and pointless commentary. — Linda (@quarantineHQ) December 16, 2020
Given that Tucker Carlson is a frozen food heir, HE’S actually closer to Dr. Pepper. 🥤 — Santa Claus, CEO (@SantaInc) December 16, 2020
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Tucker Carlson ignited the hydroxychloroquine hype by presenting a huckster who fraudulently claimed to be a Stanford Med School Advisor for "analysis" (disinformation) of it being a treatment. If Trump put Dr. Pepper on the coronavirus task force, Tucker Carlson would defend it. — Ella (@skylarker03) December 16, 2020
Tucker Carlson wishes he had the intelligence of a Dr. Pepper. Dr. Jill Biden is smart, classy, and amazing. In the sassy tone of my aunt, "Tucker Carlson talk sh!t because he ain't sh!t!" — Olivia Grace (@GraceFaceOlivia) December 16, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-16--Barack Obama Pushes Back At Criticism Of His Problem With 'Defund The Police’ Slogan

Former President Barack Obama has pushed back at the criticism he received from progressive Democrats for suggesting pithy slogans like “ defund the police ” may actually prevent real change .
In a 32-minute interview that aired on Tuesday ’ s episode of “ The Daily Show , ” Obama expanded on his concern that the catchphrase ― essentially a rallying cry to redirect some government funding for the police to social services ― may put off potential supporters who don ’ t fully understand its aim .
It ultimately boils down to “ how do you get enough people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actually institutionalize it and translate it into laws , structures and so forth ?
” Obama explained to host Trevor Noah .
“ I think that people assumed that somehow I was making an argument that that ’ s why we didn ’ t get a bigger Democratic majority ” in Congress , Obama said of the criticism he received .
Instead , Obama said he was attempting to make a “ very particular point around that , if we want to translate the very legitimate belief that how we do policing needs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , for example , a homeless guy ranting and railing in the middle of the street , sending a mental health worker , rather than an armed untrained police officer to deal with that person might be a better outcome for all of us and make us safer , right ?
” “ That , if we describe that to not just white folks , but let ’ s say Michelle ’ s mom , that makes sense to them , ” the former president continued .
“ But if we say ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ white folks , but Michelle ’ s mom might say , ‘ If I ’ m getting robbed , who am I going to call and is somebody going to show up ?
’ ” Former President Barack Obama pushed back at the criticism he received from progressive Democrats earlier this month in an interview with `` The Daily Show '' host Trevor Noah .
Obama said concerns in this kind of debate often center around “ are we just trying to make white people comfortable rather than speaking truth to power.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ making them comfortable , ” he said .
“ It is , can we be precise with our language enough that people who might be persuaded around that particular issue to make a particular change that gets a particular result that we want .
What ’ s the best way for us to describe that ?
” Obama earlier in the interview said “ nothing ” had made him “ more optimistic during a very difficult year ” overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic “ than the activism that we saw in the wake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Black Lives Matter.
” He also denied that he had attempted to chastise the Black Lives Matter movement , hailing its “ courage , activism ” and “ strategic resolve ” as far exceeding “ anything I could have done at their age ” and praising it for shifting “ the conversation in ways that I could not have imagined even a couple of years ago .
”

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Former President Barack Obama has pushed back at the criticism he received from progressive Democrats for suggesting pithy slogans like “defund the police” may actually prevent real change.
In a 32-minute interview that aired on Tuesday’s episode of “The Daily Show,” Obama expanded on his concern that the catchphrase ― essentially a rallying cry to redirect some government funding for the police to social services ― may put off potential supporters who don’t fully understand its aim.
Advertisement
It ultimately boils down to “how do you get enough people to support your cause that you can actually institutionalize it and translate it into laws, structures and so forth?” Obama explained to host Trevor Noah.
“I think that people assumed that somehow I was making an argument that that’s why we didn’t get a bigger Democratic majority” in Congress, Obama said of the criticism he received.
Instead, Obama said he was attempting to make a “very particular point around that, if we want to translate the very legitimate belief that how we do policing needs to change and that if there is, for example, a homeless guy ranting and railing in the middle of the street, sending a mental health worker, rather than an armed untrained police officer to deal with that person might be a better outcome for all of us and make us safer, right?”
“That, if we describe that to not just white folks, but let’s say Michelle’s mom, that makes sense to them,” the former president continued. “But if we say ‘defund the police,’ not just white folks, but Michelle’s mom might say, ‘If I’m getting robbed, who am I going to call and is somebody going to show up?’”
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Former President Barack Obama pushed back at the criticism he received from progressive Democrats earlier this month in an interview with "The Daily Show" host Trevor Noah. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Obama said concerns in this kind of debate often center around “are we just trying to make white people comfortable rather than speaking truth to power.”
“The issue to me is not making them comfortable,” he said. “It is, can we be precise with our language enough that people who might be persuaded around that particular issue to make a particular change that gets a particular result that we want. What’s the best way for us to describe that?”
Obama earlier in the interview said “nothing” had made him “more optimistic during a very difficult year” overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic “than the activism that we saw in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and Black Lives Matter.”
He also denied that he had attempted to chastise the Black Lives Matter movement, hailing its “courage, activism” and “strategic resolve” as far exceeding “anything I could have done at their age” and praising it for shifting “the conversation in ways that I could not have imagined even a couple of years ago.”
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-16--Chicken-Sized Dinosaur Enthralls Scientists: 'Like Nothing I've Seen In Nature Before'

WASHINGTON , Dec 15 ( Reuters ) - About 110 million years ago along the shores of an ancient lagoon in what is now northeastern Brazil , a two-legged chicken-sized Cretaceous Period dinosaur made a living hunting insects and perhaps small vertebrates like frogs and lizards .
On the inside , it was ordinary , with a skeleton similar to many small dinosaurs from the preceding Jurassic Period , scientists said on Tuesday .
On the outside , it was anything but .
This dinosaur , called Ubirajara jubatus , possessed a mane of hair-like structures while also boasting two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ probably made of keratin ― the same substance that makes up hair and fingernails ― protruding from its shoulders .
“ There are plenty of other strange dinosaurs , but this one is unlike any of them , ” said paleobiology professor David Martill of the University of Portsmouth in England , who helped lead the study published in the journal Cretaceous Research .
Ubirajara ’ s hair-like structures appear to be a rudimentary form of feathers called protofeathers .
This was not actual hair , an exclusively mammalian feature .
Many dinosaurs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evolved from small feathered dinosaurs about 150 million years ago .
“ Likely from a distance it looked hairy rather than feathery , ” Martill said .
“ Likely it had hair-like protofeathers over much of its body but they are only preserved along its neck , back and arms .
The ones on its back are very long and give it a sort of mane that is unique for dinosaurs.
” Ubirajara ’ s ribbon-like structures may have been used for display , possibly to attract mates or intimidate adversaries or in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ displays often are made by male animals ― think of a peacock ’ s elaborate tailfeathers ― leading Martill to make an “ educated guess ” that this Ubirajara individual was male .
“ The ribbons that seem to come from the shoulders are like nothing I have seen in nature before , ” Martill said .
While it is impossible to know from the fossil , Martill said Ubirajara may have been colorful .

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WASHINGTON, Dec 15 (Reuters) - About 110 million years ago along the shores of an ancient lagoon in what is now northeastern Brazil, a two-legged chicken-sized Cretaceous Period dinosaur made a living hunting insects and perhaps small vertebrates like frogs and lizards.
On the inside, it was ordinary, with a skeleton similar to many small dinosaurs from the preceding Jurassic Period, scientists said on Tuesday.
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On the outside, it was anything but.
This dinosaur, called Ubirajara jubatus, possessed a mane of hair-like structures while also boasting two utterly unique, stiff, ribbon-like features probably made of keratin ― the same substance that makes up hair and fingernails ― protruding from its shoulders.
“There are plenty of other strange dinosaurs, but this one is unlike any of them,” said paleobiology professor David Martill of the University of Portsmouth in England, who helped lead the study published in the journal Cretaceous Research.
Ubirajara’s hair-like structures appear to be a rudimentary form of feathers called protofeathers. This was not actual hair, an exclusively mammalian feature. Many dinosaurs had feathers. In fact, birds evolved from small feathered dinosaurs about 150 million years ago.
“Likely from a distance it looked hairy rather than feathery,” Martill said. “Likely it had hair-like protofeathers over much of its body but they are only preserved along its neck, back and arms. The ones on its back are very long and give it a sort of mane that is unique for dinosaurs.”
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Ubirajara’s ribbon-like structures may have been used for display, possibly to attract mates or intimidate adversaries or in inter-male rivalry, Martill added.
Such displays often are made by male animals ― think of a peacock’s elaborate tailfeathers ― leading Martill to make an “educated guess” that this Ubirajara individual was male.
“The ribbons that seem to come from the shoulders are like nothing I have seen in nature before,” Martill said.
While it is impossible to know from the fossil, Martill said Ubirajara may have been colorful.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-16--Minnesota Juvenile Lifer Myon Burrell Walks Free After 18 Years In Prison

Myon Burrell ’ s prosecution and harsh punishment raised questions about the integrity of the criminal justice system that put him away nearly two decades ago for the death of a young girl killed by a stray bullet .
Earlier this year , The Associated Press and APM Reports uncovered new evidence and serious flaws in the police investigation , ultimately leading to the creation of an independent national legal panel to review the case .
Last week , panel members published their findings , raising many of the same concerns , including that police had “ tunnel vision ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The panel said it saw no purpose served by keeping Burrell locked up , pointing to his age at the time of the crime and his good behavior behind bars .
And the release was swift .
Just hours after learning his life sentence had been commuted , with two remaining years to be served on supervised release , he walked out the front door of Stillwater prison into below-freezing temperatures .
Dozens of bundled supporters , some holding signs and balloons , surrounded Burrell while cheering “ Myon ’ s free !
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ has always maintained his innocence in the 2002 killing of 11-year-old Tyesha Edwards , struck in the heart while doing homework at the dining room table with her little sister .
He told Minnesota ’ s Board of Pardons members Gov .
Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison that his “ heart goes out ” to her family .
The third board member , Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Skjerven Gildea , recused herself , citing prior involvement with the case .
Edwards ’ death enraged the African American community in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nation ’ s highest homicide rates , briefly earning it the nickname “ Murderapolis.
” Sen. Amy Klobuchar , who then headed the county attorney ’ s office , has used Burrell ’ s conviction over the years as an example of her tough-on-crime policies , most recently during a Democratic presidential primary debate last year .
The AP investigation that followed sparked national outrage and gave Burrell ’ s family and community organizers the ammunition they needed to get Klobuchar ’ s attention .
She called for the creation of the independent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , co-founder of the Innocence Project , and Laura Nirider , of Northwestern University ’ s Center on Wrongful Convictions , oversaw that effort .
The yearlong investigation by The AP showed there was no hard evidence — no gun , DNA or fingerprints — tying Burrell to the shooting .
Among other things , police did not collect a corner store ’ s surveillance video , which Burrell said could have cleared him .
And video footage showed the lead homicide detective offering a man in police custody $ 500 for Burrell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was just hearsay .
Officers relied heavily on a single eyewitness , who offered conflicting accounts , along with jailhouse informants , who benefited generously for testifying .
One had his 16-year prison sentence cut to three .
Burrell , who was 16 at the time of the slaying , appeared at his hearing via videoconference from inside the state ’ s Stillwater prison .
He became emotional as the board voted , and put his hand on his head and said , “ Thank you , thank you .
I appreciate it.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ time in prison , saying he did not know what was going on when he was sentenced , and that he converted to Islam and became a religious leader while behind bars .
“ I tried to make the best of my situation , ” he said .
“ I started going in and extracting medicine out of the poison .
The trials and tribulations I was going through , I tried to get something out of it.
” “ She never got to go to her prom .
She never got to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to go to junior high school or high school , ” he said .
“ Her life was taken away at 11 .
Who ’ s the victim ?
” “ While this board is not a fact finder , it does have the power to determine when justice is served through the power of clemency and mercy , ” he said .
“ We can not turn a blind eye to the developments in science and law as we look at this case.
” Walz addressed the Edwards family during the hearing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not here to relitigate the crime committed against your family that took your daughter away .
There is nothing I can do to ease your pain , and it will not be made better .
But we must act today to recognize the law in this area has changed .
Justice is not served by incarcerating a child for his entire lifetime for a horrible mistake committed many years ago.
” New questions about Burrell ’ s case surfaced just before Minneapolis was thrust into the national spotlight after a police officer held @ @ @ @ @ @ @ neck outside a convenience store as Floyd gasped for breath .
It was the same Cup Foods store that Burrell said could have provided his alibi if surveillance tapes had been pulled .

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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Black man sent to prison for life as a teenager took his first steps of freedom Tuesday to the sound of ringing bells and cheering family members and supporters, hours after a pardons board commuted his sentence in a high-profile murder case.
Myon Burrell’s prosecution and harsh punishment raised questions about the integrity of the criminal justice system that put him away nearly two decades ago for the death of a young girl killed by a stray bullet. Earlier this year, The Associated Press and APM Reports uncovered new evidence and serious flaws in the police investigation, ultimately leading to the creation of an independent national legal panel to review the case.
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Last week, panel members published their findings, raising many of the same concerns, including that police had “tunnel vision” while pursuing Burrell as a suspect. The panel said it saw no purpose served by keeping Burrell locked up, pointing to his age at the time of the crime and his good behavior behind bars.
Burrell’s request for a pardon was denied. But it was the first time in at least 22 years that Minnesota commuted a sentence in a murder case, according to the Department of Corrections.
And the release was swift. Just hours after learning his life sentence had been commuted, with two remaining years to be served on supervised release, he walked out the front door of Stillwater prison into below-freezing temperatures. Dozens of bundled supporters, some holding signs and balloons, surrounded Burrell while cheering “Myon’s free! Myon’s free!”
After jumping into a waiting car, he was soon home. Friends and relatives filtered into the living room, greeting him with gifts and hugs.
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“It’s just a blessing,” he said, while standing outside on the street searching the sky for the moon and stars, which he said he’s been longing to see.
Burrell has always maintained his innocence in the 2002 killing of 11-year-old Tyesha Edwards, struck in the heart while doing homework at the dining room table with her little sister. He told Minnesota’s Board of Pardons members Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison that his “heart goes out” to her family. The third board member, Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Skjerven Gildea, recused herself, citing prior involvement with the case.
Myon Burrell is released from Minnesota Correctional Facility-Stillwater, on Dec. 15, 2020, in Bayport, Minn. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Edwards’ death enraged the African American community in a city just emerging from some of the nation’s highest homicide rates, briefly earning it the nickname “Murderapolis.” Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who then headed the county attorney’s office, has used Burrell’s conviction over the years as an example of her tough-on-crime policies, most recently during a Democratic presidential primary debate last year.
The AP investigation that followed sparked national outrage and gave Burrell’s family and community organizers the ammunition they needed to get Klobuchar’s attention. She called for the creation of the independent panel of legal experts. Barry Scheck, co-founder of the Innocence Project, and Laura Nirider, of Northwestern University’s Center on Wrongful Convictions, oversaw that effort.
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Klobuchar released a statement Tuesday saying the pardon board made the right decision. She also urged a conviction-review unit to continue investigating the facts.
The yearlong investigation by The AP showed there was no hard evidence — no gun, DNA or fingerprints — tying Burrell to the shooting. Among other things, police did not collect a corner store’s surveillance video, which Burrell said could have cleared him. And video footage showed the lead homicide detective offering a man in police custody $500 for Burrell’s name, even if it was just hearsay. Officers relied heavily on a single eyewitness, who offered conflicting accounts, along with jailhouse informants, who benefited generously for testifying. One had his 16-year prison sentence cut to three.
Burrell’s co-defendants said the teenager was not at the scene that day.
And one, Isaiah Tyson, admitted to being the shooter.
Burrell, who was 16 at the time of the slaying, appeared at his hearing via videoconference from inside the state’s Stillwater prison. He became emotional as the board voted, and put his hand on his head and said, “Thank you, thank you. I appreciate it.”
Burrell told the board about his time in prison, saying he did not know what was going on when he was sentenced, and that he converted to Islam and became a religious leader while behind bars.
“I tried to make the best of my situation,” he said. “I started going in and extracting medicine out of the poison. The trials and tribulations I was going through, I tried to get something out of it.”
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In this Feb. 13, 2020, file photo, Myon Burrell sits inside his cell at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Stillwater, Minn. ASSOCIATED PRESS
His request was accompanied by testimony from community leaders and letters from young men in prison, who attested to his strong character and moral leadership.
Jimmie Edwards III, Tyesha’s brother, told the AP that he and his family were upset by the decision. He said the justice system failed his family, and media coverage and support for Burrell’s release overshadowed his sister’s death.
“She never got to go to her prom. She never got to go to college. She never got to go to junior high school or high school,” he said. “Her life was taken away at 11. Who’s the victim?”
Gov. Walz recommended the commuted sentence, saying science has found and the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that teenage minds work differently than those of adults, and that a life sentence for a teenager is too extreme.
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“While this board is not a fact finder, it does have the power to determine when justice is served through the power of clemency and mercy,” he said. “We cannot turn a blind eye to the developments in science and law as we look at this case.”
Walz addressed the Edwards family during the hearing, saying: “We’re not here to relitigate the crime committed against your family that took your daughter away. There is nothing I can do to ease your pain, and it will not be made better. But we must act today to recognize the law in this area has changed. Justice is not served by incarcerating a child for his entire lifetime for a horrible mistake committed many years ago.”
New questions about Burrell’s case surfaced just before Minneapolis was thrust into the national spotlight after a police officer held his knee against George Floyd’s neck outside a convenience store as Floyd gasped for breath. It was the same Cup Foods store that Burrell said could have provided his alibi if surveillance tapes had been pulled.
Floyd’s death sparked racial injustice protests and put renewed focus on some law enforcement practices from the 1990s and early 2000s, when harsher policing and tougher sentencing led to the highest lock-up rates in the nation’s history. Those incarcerations hit minority communities the hardest.
Burrell was jailed during an era “marked by racially charged fear mongering about young ‘super-predators’ who would be violent for the entirety of their lives,” Mark Osler, who chaired the panel, wrote in the Minneapolis Star Tribune this past weekend.
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Edwards III, Tyesha’s brother, said news of Burrell’s release is especially hard after the death of his mother last year.
“When she lost our sister, it took her away. She was never able to recover,” he said of his mother. “I’m glad my mom is not here to witness this, because it would just break her heart.”
___


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-16--Jimmy Kimmel Tells Twitter What It Should Really Do To Donald Trump's Feed

Jimmy Kimmel thinks President Donald Trump has gone way past the point of needing a warning label on his bogus @ @ @ @ @ “ Jimmy Kimmel Live !
” host on Tuesday suggested a better way the social @ @ @ @ @ president ’ s repeated promotion of nonsense conspiracy theories and lies about the 2020 election @ @ @ @ @ post a banner at the top of the whole feed that says ‘ this space @ @ @ @ @ the comedian mused .

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thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-16--Tom Cruise Explodes At 'Mission Impossible 7' Crew For Breaking COVID-19 Rules

Tom Cruise tore into members of the “ Mission Impossible 7 ” crew for breaching COVID-19 safety protocols , according to an audio recording obtained by The Sun that has gone viral .
The star and producer of the action film launched into an expletive-filled rant and threatened to fire crew members who failed to follow the rules again .
The incident took place after Cruise spotted two colleagues standing closely together at a computer screen , the British tabloid reported .
“ They ’ re back there in Hollywood making movies right now because of us .
Because they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re doing , ” Cruise shouts in the recording .
“ I ’ m on the phone with every fucking studio at night , insurance companies , producers and they ’ re looking at us and using us to make their movies .
We are creating thousands of jobs , you motherfuckers .
I don ’ t ever want to see it again .
Ever !
” Sources close to the production confirmed the incident to Variety and Reuters .
The Sun did not report when the tape was recorded , but filmmakers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Production for the movie in Venice , Italy was shut down in February due to the pandemic .
It resumed in September , with shooting slated to take place in Italy , Norway and London .
The film faced delays in October when 12 people tested positive for COVID-19 on the set in Italy , Variety reported .
Tom Cruise during a break in filming for `` Mission Impossible 7 '' along Rome 's Fori Imperiali avenue .
Filming in Italy was shut down in October for a week after a dozen people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Other Hollywood productions have faced similar issues .
In September , filming for “ The Batman ” in London was temporarily suspended after its star , Robert Pattison , tested positive for the virus .
Nine cases were recorded among crew members for Ava DuVernay ’ s “ Colin in Black & White ” series during pre-production in Los Angeles this month .
And the Lionsgate TV-produced “ Mythic Quest : Raven ’ s Banquet ” has had multiple outbreaks on its L.A. set .

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Tom Cruise tore into members of the “Mission Impossible 7” crew for breaching COVID-19 safety protocols, according to an audio recording obtained by The Sun that has gone viral.
The star and producer of the action film launched into an expletive-filled rant and threatened to fire crew members who failed to follow the rules again. The incident took place after Cruise spotted two colleagues standing closely together at a computer screen, the British tabloid reported.
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Tom Cruise went ballistic on the Mission: Impossible 7 crew for breaking COVID protocols...pic.twitter.com/WbIpVlja7w — Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) December 16, 2020
“They’re back there in Hollywood making movies right now because of us. Because they believe in us and what we’re doing,” Cruise shouts in the recording. “I’m on the phone with every fucking studio at night, insurance companies, producers and they’re looking at us and using us to make their movies. We are creating thousands of jobs, you motherfuckers. I don’t ever want to see it again. Ever!”
Sources close to the production confirmed the incident to Variety and Reuters. The Sun did not report when the tape was recorded, but filmmakers arrived in London in early December.
A representative for Cruise did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
Production for the movie in Venice, Italy was shut down in February due to the pandemic. It resumed in September, with shooting slated to take place in Italy, Norway and London.
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The film faced delays in October when 12 people tested positive for COVID-19 on the set in Italy, Variety reported.
Tom Cruise during a break in filming for "Mission Impossible 7" along Rome's Fori Imperiali avenue. Filming in Italy was shut down in October for a week after a dozen people on set tested positive for COVID-19. ASSOCIATED PRESS / Andrew Medichini
Other Hollywood productions have faced similar issues. In September, filming for “The Batman” in London was temporarily suspended after its star, Robert Pattison, tested positive for the virus. Nine cases were recorded among crew members for Ava DuVernay’s “Colin in Black & White” series during pre-production in Los Angeles this month. And the Lionsgate TV-produced “Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet” has had multiple outbreaks on its L.A. set.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-16--Colbert Has A Tasty Way For ‘Coward' Republicans To Congratulate Biden In Secret

“ The Late Show With Stephen Colbert ” on Tuesday came up with the “ perfect ” way for Republicans @ @ @ @ @ Biden for his election win while avoiding the wrath of President Donald Trump , who @ @ @ @ @ .
A spoof ad touted a fruit basket from Edible Arrangements — with the fruit @ @ @ @ @ celebratory message — as the “ perfect way for the coward to say congrats because @ @ @ @ @ , there ’ s no evidence.
” And there ’ s “ no need to @ @ @ @ @ out , ” the narrator of the fake spot added , “ because he has @ @ @ @ @ ”

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“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” on Tuesday came up with the “perfect” way for Republicans to finally congratulate President-elect Joe Biden for his election win while avoiding the wrath of President Donald Trump, who continues to falsely claim victory.
A spoof ad touted a fruit basket from Edible Arrangements — with the fruit positioned to spell out the celebratory message — as the “perfect way for the coward to say congrats because after it’s consumed, there’s no evidence.”
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And there’s “no need to worry about President Trump finding out,” the narrator of the fake spot added, “because he has no interest in fruit.”
Check out the bit here:
On #LSSC tonight: Republicans should send Edible Arrangements to congratulate Joe Biden! pic.twitter.com/kLFW1Y7Lua — A Late Show (@colbertlateshow) December 16, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-16--Vaccine Reaches Nursing Home Residents As Coronavirus Cases Climb

POMPANO BEACH , Fla. ( AP ) — The first COVID-19 vaccinations are underway at U.S. nursing homes , where the virus has killed more than 110,000 people , even as the nation struggles to contain a surge so alarming it has spurred California to dispense thousands of body bags and line up refrigerated morgue trucks .
With the rollout of shots picking up speed Wednesday , lawmakers in Washington closed in on a long-stalled $ 900 billion coronavirus relief package that would send direct payments of around $ 600 to most Americans .
Meanwhile , the U.S. appeared to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccine to its arsenal .
Nursing home residents in Florida began receiving shots Wednesday , after nearly 2,000 such vaccinations were administered in West Virginia on Tuesday .
Thousands more are scheduled there in the coming days .
Other states are expected to follow soon .
The elderly and infirm in long-term care have been among the most vulnerable to the virus and , together with health workers , are first in line to get the limited , initial supplies of the vaccine developed by Pfizer and Germany ’ s BioNTech .
Nursing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than one-third of the nation ’ s 300,000 or so confirmed deaths from COVID-19 .
In Florida , the longtime retirement haven whose 141,000 nursing home residents are the second most of any state behind California , eagerness to get the vaccine was mixed with some anxiety .
“ I hope it will help me from getting COVID , ” said 88-year-old retired schoolteacher Vera Leip , a resident of John Knox Village near Fort Lauderdale .
“ I don ’ t know anything about it , but I would prefer not to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ requiring its employees to get the vaccine , and only 80 of the 200 staffers in the skilled nursing facility volunteered for the first wave , said Mark Rayner , its director of health services .
He said many of those declining the shot are African-American and don ’ t trust it , given the nation ’ s history of medical experimentation on Black people .
West Virginia , with one of the oldest and unhealthiest populations in America , is working with small and local pharmacies to reach nursing homes across the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are relying on a partnership with the CVS and Walgreens drugstore chains to kick in any day now .
The U.S. recorded over 3,000 deaths on Tuesday for the third time in less than a week , easily eclipsing the peaks seen last spring .
New cases are running at over 212,000 a day on average .
And the number of Americans in the hospital with COVID-19 hit another all-time high Tuesday of about 113,000 .
California is distributing 5,000 body bags mostly to the hard-hit Los Angeles and San Diego areas and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ makeshift morgues .
The state is averaging 163 virus deaths per day , up from 63 just two weeks ago .
Many California hospitals are running out of space in intensive care wards , as the state records an average of about 32,500 new virus cases a day .
That is up from about 14,000 a day at the start of the month .
In Fresno County , officials said just a few ICU beds remained available and were filling rapidly .
To keep up , the county ’ s hospital system has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doctors , nurses and others to staff a temporary 50-bed facility that will start receiving patients by the end of the week .
“ That ’ s a staggering statistic when you think about the things that can afflict people , ” said Dr. Joshua LaBaer , executive director of Arizona State University ’ s Biodesign Institute .
“ And it certainly means that hospitals at this point are having to make decisions about keeping people out of the hospital to keep beds available for the COVID patients.
” In the nation ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hoped to seal a deal as early as Wednesday on a package that would extend aid to individuals and businesses and help ship vaccines to millions .
It would include enhanced federal unemployment benefits and another round of stimulus checks .

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POMPANO BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The first COVID-19 vaccinations are underway at U.S. nursing homes, where the virus has killed more than 110,000 people, even as the nation struggles to contain a surge so alarming it has spurred California to dispense thousands of body bags and line up refrigerated morgue trucks.
With the rollout of shots picking up speed Wednesday, lawmakers in Washington closed in on a long-stalled $900 billion coronavirus relief package that would send direct payments of around $600 to most Americans. Meanwhile, the U.S. appeared to be days away from adding a second vaccine to its arsenal.
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At the same time, a major snowstorm pushing its way into the Northeast raised concern it could disrupt distribution of the first vaccine.
Nursing home residents in Florida began receiving shots Wednesday, after nearly 2,000 such vaccinations were administered in West Virginia on Tuesday. Thousands more are scheduled there in the coming days. Other states are expected to follow soon.
The elderly and infirm in long-term care have been among the most vulnerable to the virus and, together with health workers, are first in line to get the limited, initial supplies of the vaccine developed by Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech. Nursing home residents and workers account for more than one-third of the nation’s 300,000 or so confirmed deaths from COVID-19.
In Florida, the longtime retirement haven whose 141,000 nursing home residents are the second most of any state behind California, eagerness to get the vaccine was mixed with some anxiety.
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“I hope it will help me from getting COVID,” said 88-year-old retired schoolteacher Vera Leip, a resident of John Knox Village near Fort Lauderdale. “I don’t know anything about it, but I would prefer not to have it.”
The home is not requiring its employees to get the vaccine, and only 80 of the 200 staffers in the skilled nursing facility volunteered for the first wave, said Mark Rayner, its director of health services. He said many of those declining the shot are African-American and don’t trust it, given the nation’s history of medical experimentation on Black people.
“They are frightened,” he said. “There is that culture line even as much as we educate them.”
West Virginia, with one of the oldest and unhealthiest populations in America, is working with small and local pharmacies to reach nursing homes across the heavily rural state, leapfrogging states that are relying on a partnership with the CVS and Walgreens drugstore chains to kick in any day now.
Marty Wright, head of the West Virginia Health Care Association, which represents nursing homes and assisted living communities, said the state’s pharmacies expect to get 7,000 doses into arms by the end of the week.
The developments come as as the crisis grows increasingly dire by many measures.
The U.S. recorded over 3,000 deaths on Tuesday for the third time in less than a week, easily eclipsing the peaks seen last spring. New cases are running at over 212,000 a day on average. And the number of Americans in the hospital with COVID-19 hit another all-time high Tuesday of about 113,000.
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California is distributing 5,000 body bags mostly to the hard-hit Los Angeles and San Diego areas and has 60 refrigerated trailers standing by as makeshift morgues. The state is averaging 163 virus deaths per day, up from 63 just two weeks ago.
Many California hospitals are running out of space in intensive care wards, as the state records an average of about 32,500 new virus cases a day. That is up from about 14,000 a day at the start of the month.
“Our hospitals are under siege and our models show no end in sight,” said Los Angeles County Health Services Director Dr. Christina Ghaly.
In Fresno County, officials said just a few ICU beds remained available and were filling rapidly. To keep up, the county’s hospital system has contracted with a Virginia company to supply doctors, nurses and others to staff a temporary 50-bed facility that will start receiving patients by the end of the week.
In Orange County, health officials planned to send large tents to four hospitals to help accommodate patients.
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Bruce Barton, EMS director for Riverside County, said a couple of hospitals hit capacity in the past week and local officials had to step in to take some bodies.
Hospitals are also under pressure in Arizona, where a record 92% of beds are filled, nearly half of them with people with COVID-19.
“That’s a staggering statistic when you think about the things that can afflict people,” said Dr. Joshua LaBaer, executive director of Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute. “And it certainly means that hospitals at this point are having to make decisions about keeping people out of the hospital to keep beds available for the COVID patients.”
In the nation’s capital, congressional leaders said they hoped to seal a deal as early as Wednesday on a package that would extend aid to individuals and businesses and help ship vaccines to millions. It would include enhanced federal unemployment benefits and another round of stimulus checks.
On Thursday, a government advisory panel will consider whether to endorse emergency use of a second vaccine, made by Moderna.
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Meanwhile, officials supervising distribution of the first vaccine said they didn’t expect the winter storm to disrupt distribution.
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said the government is tracking the vaccine shipments precisely, has staffers in place to receive them and believes the companies transporting them — FedEx and UPS — have the expertise to navigate the storm.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-16--Mike Pence To Get A COVID-19 Vaccine On Live TV: Reports

Axios reported the news Wednesday , citing an administration official with knowledge of the situation .
Earlier , CNN reported that Pence was “ likely ” to receive the vaccine by Friday , according to two sources .
Pence will receive the vaccine on air to build “ vaccine confidence ” among Americans , Axios reported .
Various polls show that 20 % to 40 % of Americans won ’ t commit to getting the vaccine , though those numbers have been on the rise in recent months .
Pence is reportedly receiving the vaccine after nine months of standing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ response , which has largely consisted of downplaying the severity of the disease , dismissing the need for basic safety measures , pushing dangerous treatment ideas and refusing to issue a comprehensive federal response .
Pence , too , has pushed misleading talking points about the disease while leading the White House ’ s coronavirus task force .
On a call with governors in June , he downplayed increases in COVID-19 diagnoses in some regions as simply “ intermittent ” spikes and claimed higher figures were merely a result of increased testing .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ earlier Wednesday that Trump is open to taking the coronavirus vaccine , but she would not commit to him doing it in public .
Trump has already been infected with the coronavirus .
Former Presidents Barack Obama , George W. Bush and Bill Clinton pledged earlier this month to get the COVID-19 vaccination live on TV to encourage other Americans to be inoculated .

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Vice President Mike Pence is expected to receive a COVID-19 vaccine live on television Friday, media outlets reported.
Axios reported the news Wednesday, citing an administration official with knowledge of the situation. Earlier, CNN reported that Pence was “likely” to receive the vaccine by Friday, according to two sources.
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The White House did not immediately return a request for comment.
Pence will receive the vaccine on air to build “vaccine confidence” among Americans, Axios reported. Various polls show that 20% to 40% of Americans won’t commit to getting the vaccine, though those numbers have been on the rise in recent months.
Pence is reportedly receiving the vaccine after nine months of standing by President Donald Trump and his pandemic response, which has largely consisted of downplaying the severity of the disease, dismissing the need for basic safety measures, pushing dangerous treatment ideas and refusing to issue a comprehensive federal response.
Pence, too, has pushed misleading talking points about the disease while leading the White House’s coronavirus task force. On a call with governors in June, he downplayed increases in COVID-19 diagnoses in some regions as simply “intermittent” spikes and claimed higher figures were merely a result of increased testing.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said earlier Wednesday that Trump is open to taking the coronavirus vaccine, but she would not commit to him doing it in public. Trump has already been infected with the coronavirus.
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Former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton pledged earlier this month to get the COVID-19 vaccination live on TV to encourage other Americans to be inoculated.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-12-16--Here's How The Coronavirus Vaccines Were Produced So Quickly

Funding is usually a big hurdle that slows down vaccine development .
Not so during the coronavirus pandemic .
The trial phases and manufacturing overlapped somewhat to save time without compromising safety .
In the case of Pfizer , British Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency sped things along further by looking at thousands of pages of safety and efficacy documentation on a rolling basis , whereas the American Food and Drug Administration waited for more complete data .
Officials “ were eating turkey sandwiches on Thanksgiving while reviewing documents , ” the FDA ’ s Peter Marks , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccines are safe enough for widespread use , said in an interview with the Journal of the American Medical Association .
Drugmakers have also tried to be transparent in their research by making a lot of their documentation freely available online , Krammer said , so people can look at it for themselves .
But that ’ s what companies have been doing .
Moderna , whose vaccine is close to cinching emergency approval for use in the U.S. , started scaling up its manufacturing abilities in late March and struck a deal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in August .
Pfizer , whose vaccine was the first to secure emergency approval in both the U.K. and the U.S. , settled on which facilities it would use to make its drug back in May .
By the end of July , the company had agreed to supply the U.S. with an initial order of 100 million doses , even though final clinical trial results were several months away .
Scientists weren ’ t starting from scratch .
They had research to build on from past viral outbreaks .
Plus , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccines .
As with any medical intervention , there will always be some risk to take into account .
Negative side effects generally happen relatively soon after vaccination .
In 2009 , for example , an increased risk of narcolepsy was discovered shortly after people in Europe began taking an H1N1 vaccine made by GlaxoSmithKline .
( That drug was never authorized for use in the U.S. ) Experts told HuffPost that it is possible some previously unrecorded low-frequency side effects will become apparent in the next several months as more and more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is largely because data is lacking for some groups , such as pregnant women , who are generally advised to hold off on getting the vaccine .
People with severe allergies , too , are being told to wait .

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Prior to the coronavirus crisis, the fastest a vaccine had ever been developed was back in the 1960s, to prevent mumps. That took four years. The race to come up with a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has been hailed as a historical milestone for undergoing development in under a single year. Never before has a vaccine been produced so quickly.
Americans largely appear to welcome these efforts ― polling suggests that most adults will get a coronavirus vaccine when one becomes available to them. But it’s worth asking exactly how scientists were able to produce multiple vaccines in such a short time span.
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HuffPost spoke to three experts about the speed at which vaccines against the coronavirus have been developed: Dr. Florian Krammer, a microbiology professor at Mt. Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine in New York City; Dr. Gigi Gronvall, a senior scholar and associate professor at Johns Hopkins; and Dr. Thad Stappenbeck, a leading physician at the Cleveland Clinic. All of them said they understood why people may have questions about the process but agreed that the first doses rolling out are safe and effective ― and all of them indicated they would get the shots themselves, particularly as the risk of contracting COVID-19 compounds over time.
Here’s how scientists broke records to arrive at a vaccine.
Funding is usually a big hurdle that slows down vaccine development. Not so during the coronavirus pandemic.
Billions of vaccine doses are going to be required to keep the virus in check over the next several years after it crippled the global economy and prompted unemployment to rise to levels not seen since the Great Depression. That enormous market and unprecedented demand prompted ample pledges for funding for its development.
“Typically, when you produce or develop a vaccine, at each step along the road, you ask yourself, do we have the money to move forward? Is it worth moving forward?” Krammer told HuffPost.
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The U.S. government alone has pledged more than $10 billion to companies working on coronavirus vaccines as part of Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration’s effort to support vaccine developers. Drugmakers are also more willing to take financial risks given the urgency of the crisis.
“These companies were able to let the science proceed,” Gronvall said.
The trial phases and manufacturing overlapped somewhat to save time without compromising safety.
The process for developing vaccines is standardized: Normally, an exploratory and design period can take several years before eventually leading to clinical trials, which are held in three phases, followed by regulatory review and large-scale manufacturing. (A helpful visualization can be found in Nature.) Researchers aim to establish an appropriate dosage level in Phase I trials, moving on to a larger group of human study subjects in Phase II to show — hopefully — that the drug offers some health benefit.
Last spring’s Phase I trials “initially saw a whopping immunologic response,” Stappenbeck said, so the FDA “let them essentially move right into Phase II,” which was also successful.
Phase III is the big one, where a large number of people is recruited to try out the drug (or a placebo) and evaluate the side effects. Phase III ends when enough people have contracted the virus in the vaccine group compared to the placebo group, giving you the vaccine’s efficacy.
With many other diseases, Krammer explained, it takes a while to build up enough cases in the pool of study participants.
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“Now we are in this absurd situation that, because there is so much virus, we get results quicker,” he said. “If you would have controlled the virus circulation very well, and there would have been no wave in the fall, we would not have any efficacy results. We would still be waiting.”
Usually companies developing vaccines aim to mitigate financial risk by waiting until each phase is complete before moving on to the next one. Companies developing coronavirus vaccines, however, have been able to move more quickly because the financial risk is lower.
“They literally did everything that they would have done over a period of years in 10 months. Think of it as an accordion that’s pushed in, so everything is there, it’s just in a smaller package,” Stappenbeck said.
In the case of Pfizer, British Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency sped things along further by looking at thousands of pages of safety and efficacy documentation on a rolling basis, whereas the American Food and Drug Administration waited for more complete data. Officials “were eating turkey sandwiches on Thanksgiving while reviewing documents,” the FDA’s Peter Marks, who leads the group that decides which coronavirus vaccines are safe enough for widespread use, said in an interview with the Journal of the American Medical Association. Drugmakers have also tried to be transparent in their research by making a lot of their documentation freely available online, Krammer said, so people can look at it for themselves.
A number of problems can crop up at any point along the entire process. Sometimes researchers run into unexpected side effects in humans, or safety and efficacy problems, or trouble with regulatory agencies. A vaccine being developed by Australia’s University of Queensland became the first to be abandoned earlier this month after researchers discovered that it produced false-positive HIV test results.
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In normal times, a drugmaker would certainly not get started on large-scale manufacturing during the clinical trial phases, because relatively few drugs actually get approved each year.
“You wouldn’t put up that kind of money,” Gronvall said.
But that’s what companies have been doing. Moderna, whose vaccine is close to cinching emergency approval for use in the U.S., started scaling up its manufacturing abilities in late March and struck a deal to provide the U.S. 100 million doses in August. Pfizer, whose vaccine was the first to secure emergency approval in both the U.K. and the U.S., settled on which facilities it would use to make its drug back in May. By the end of July, the company had agreed to supply the U.S. with an initial order of 100 million doses, even though final clinical trial results were several months away.
Scientists weren’t starting from scratch. They had research to build on from past viral outbreaks.
The last two decades have seen two other outbreaks of different coronaviruses. (Technically, the term “coronavirus” refers to a whole family of viruses, but it is often used as shorthand for the specific virus that causes COVID-19 due to its sheer prevalence.)
SARS-CoV (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus) and MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) emerged in 2002 and 2012, respectively. Scientists began the process of developing a vaccine for SARS-CoV, and two drugs underwent Phase I trials, Krammer describes in a paper published in the journal Nature. Development stopped, though, because the virus had petered out by 2004 and it was no longer worth the cost. A vaccine for MERS-CoV is still being developed, eight years after it first appeared. Neither virus, of course, came anywhere near the scale of the current crisis ― in the U.S., just eight people caught SARS and two people caught MERS.
Because the virus currently spreading rapidly around the world, SARS-CoV-2, is related to SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, researchers had a head start on how to potentially design the vaccine. They already knew which protein to focus on.
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Plus, they had a body of research on mRNA vaccines.
In another scientific milestone, both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines successfully make use of mRNA, or messenger RNA, which has never before been used in a vaccine approved in the U.S.
That doesn’t mean it’s a brand-new technology.
MRNA vaccines have been studied for more than a decade, with the first human trials beginning in 2013. So while we may only have data going back two months on the people who took, for example, the Pfizer vaccine, scientists have been tracking people who have taken experimental mRNA drugs for much longer.
“There is certainly data in, you know, not in tens of thousands of people, but in hundreds of people where you have long-term data,” Krammer said.
Whereas many vaccines protect us by putting inactivated virus in our bodies, triggering an immune response that produces antibodies, a messenger RNA vaccine works differently. It contains instructions that teach our cells how to make a small piece of the virus ― in this case the “spike” protein unique to SARS-CoV-2 ― which also triggers an immune response. Our bodies then know how to recognize that spike protein and fight off the virus if we are exposed to it for real. The mRNA does not interact with our human DNA whatsoever.
RNA itself is very delicate, which is why some of the vaccines need to be kept at extremely low temperatures in special freezers. The instructions are encased in a lipid, or fat, for transport.
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“They had developed a really clever technology where they were able to take these really unstable mRNA molecules, stabilize them enough, and then encapsulate them,” Stappenbeck said.
“A lot of the work that would have taken years and years and years to develop ― to do in animal models ― had essentially already been done.”
Once the instructions have been delivered, the elements of the vaccine get broken down right away.
“The design of it is really simple. It’s just an mRNA and the lipid. There’s really no other chemicals, no other factors that are present in it that could produce side effects in some small group of population,” Stappenbeck said.
The vaccine effort is global.
Chinese scientists sequenced the virus’s genome back in January, sharing the information with the world soon after. Independent regulatory agencies in the U.S., Canada, Britain and elsewhere have been largely open and collaborative with one another to move the process along more efficiently than ever before.
Although we have seen the Trump administration try and exert undue influence over the CDC, none of the experts HuffPost spoke to had any concern that the administration would affect the FDA’s science-bound decision-making process.
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Krammer stressed that the FDA is widely respected, saying, “There’s a lot of good scientists there. In the end, they are data-driven. They’re not driven by politics, and they know what they have to lose.”
“The other thing is that scientists and physicians around the world have read the same reports,” Stappenbeck said. “What you don’t see is physicians from the Cleveland Clinic getting on Twitter, or blogs, or interviews, and saying that they’re wrong.”
“If people are really concerned about this, all they have to do is, you know, Google ‘COVID-19 Moderna’ and then whatever major medical center they want to put in, and they can read about what the experts at that medical center are saying,” he added. “And what they’ll see is a uniform chorus, really across the country, where everyone is in agreement that this is the right thing to do.”
As with any medical intervention, there will always be some risk to take into account.
But you don’t need to be an expert to evaluate it, Krammer told HuffPost.
“Just thinking about risk analysis, what do I risk if I do take the vaccine versus what do I risk if I don’t take the vaccine? If I do take the vaccine, I know that 40,000 people were fine,” he said, referring to the total number of people who received a vaccine in Pfizer and Moderna’s clinical trials. “On the other side, you have the risk of getting infected.”
Negative side effects generally happen relatively soon after vaccination. In 2009, for example, an increased risk of narcolepsy was discovered shortly after people in Europe began taking an H1N1 vaccine made by GlaxoSmithKline. (That drug was never authorized for use in the U.S.) Experts told HuffPost that it is possible some previously unrecorded low-frequency side effects will become apparent in the next several months as more and more people get the new vaccines. That is largely because data is lacking for some groups, such as pregnant women, who are generally advised to hold off on getting the vaccine. People with severe allergies, too, are being told to wait.
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It not likely that side effects will crop up unexpectedly years down the line.
Medical centers that dole out the vaccine in the U.S. are also working to monitor people who have received the drugs for any adverse effects. The CDC is using a smartphone app called V-Safe, which allows people to complete health check-ins, to help them do so, too.
People who get a coronavirus vaccine are likely to experience some of the more common side effects in the following day or so. We should anticipate potentially feeling fatigued or experiencing headache, chills or muscle pain shortly after getting the jab ― but know that is to be expected.