vox--2020-12-12--A Wall Street Journal op-ed about Jill Biden pairs virulent sexism with academic elitism

On Saturday , the Wall Street Journal editorial page published an op-ed criticizing incoming First Lady Jill Biden ’ s use of the title “ doctor ” — and immediately drew backlash for the article ’ s open sexism and condescension .
The piece , “ Is There a Doctor in the White House ?
Not if You Need an M.D.
” by Joseph Epstein , an emeritus lecturer of English at Northwestern University , is ostensibly a foray into an ongoing debate over whether only medical doctors can claim the title , or whether it can also be used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such as Biden , who has a doctorate in educational leadership .
( Many publications , including Vox , follow the Associated Press stylebook , which reserves “ Dr. ” for medical doctors . )
Epstein ’ s op-ed , though , went beyond this argument to specifically belittle Biden ’ s credentials and her field of study , beginning with addressing Biden — who is 69 — as “ kiddo.
” In the op-ed , he describes her decision to use the title of doctor as something that “ sounds and feels @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comic.
” He also dismisses her doctoral dissertation , about keeping community college students enrolled , as “ unpromising , ” though he does not make clear whether he has read it .
Many women in academia struggle to be addressed with the same respect given their male colleagues .
And community colleges have long fought a stigma that the education they offer is inferior to their four-year counterparts .
Epstein ’ s op-ed played into both of those tropes — and struck a justifiable nerve .
Biden ’ s students call her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ insists she doesn ’ t deserve the title Biden , according to Politico , has two master ’ s degrees and earned her doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Delaware in 2007 ; she was a community college professor in northern Virginia while her husband was vice president .
Though she took a leave of absence during the campaign , she has said that she will continue to teach while in the White House .
Her students , according to Politico , call her “ Dr .
B.
” But Epstein @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be referred to this way , writing that “ a wise man once said that no one should call himself ‘ Dr. ’ unless he has delivered a child .
Think about it , Dr. Jill , and forthwith drop the doc.
” For anyone else who has earned the title to use it is “ pathetic ” to Epstein ’ s mind , and he claims it is meaningless anyway .
Epstein goes on to argue the value of a doctorate has diminished in recent years in comparison to the olden days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ secretary sat outside the room where these [ doctoral examinations ] were administered , a pitcher of water and a glass on her desk .
The water and glass were there for the candidates who fainted.
” Epstein , who has an honorary doctorate himself but lacks one earned by study , also digresses from his critique of Biden to complain about the proliferation of honorary degrees , which recognize noteworthy contributions to scholarship , culture , or society , but don ’ t imply academic achievement .
This is apparently a hobbyhorse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he once sent a “ complaining email ” to the president of Northwestern University after Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers received honorary doctorates .
As Danielle Keifert , an assistant professor of education at the University of North Texas , succinctly put it on Twitter , “ the suggestion that honorary degrees water down the value of an earned doctorate is laughable .
This dude thinks because he had one given to him the rest of us didn ’ t earn it.
” Epstein ’ s claims elicited strong reactions from many who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lacking — critics , ranging from members of Biden ’ s team to her fellow academics , repeatedly pointed out that the piece seemed ill-informed , paternalistic , and misogynistic .
Biden ’ s future communications director Elizabeth Alexander called the piece “ sexist and shameful ” on Twitter , while Biden ’ s spokesperson , Michael LaRosa , wrote , “ If you had any respect for women at all [ the Wall Street Journal ] would remove this repugnant display of chauvinism from your paper and apologize to her.
” “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ honorific .
It was not bestowed upon her , she earned it , ” Dr. Cathleen London tweeted .
“ Those of us with MD will not suffer for her using it , ” Sarah Parcak , an archeologist with a doctorate , responded with a tweet that reflected the overall response of many women doctors on Twitter , writing , “ Dear Joseph Epstein , author of this garbage sexist article , Kiss my ass and go f*ck yourself.
” As Don Moynihan , a professor of public policy at Georgetown University @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s a good reason that doctors outside of the field of medicine , and especially women , make a point of using the title “ doctor.
” “ This debate comes every so often on twitter , ” Moynihan tweeted as part of a longer thread , “ so here is the conclusion : PhDs predate MDs , and the medical profession grabbed the title of doctor to make themselves appear more credible [ and ] Female & POC scholars often [ use “ doctor ” ] as a way to insist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” The op-ed also implied that studying community colleges is useless Epstein , early in his op-ed , described Biden ’ s dissertation , titled “ Student Retention at the Community College Level : Meeting Students ’ Needs , ” as “ unpromising.
” That dismissive comment — and again , it ’ s unclear if Epstein actually read the dissertation , or engaged with it at all beyond sniping at its title — does a grave disservice to an important issue .
According to data from fall 2018 , community college students @ @ @ @ @ @ @ US undergraduate population — but from 2017 to 2018 , according to the National Center for Education Statistics , the retention rate for two-year institutions , at about 62 percent , was almost 20 percent lower when compared to four-year institutions .
There is some debate on what this means — as Grace Chen points out for Community College Review , some students transfer from community colleges to four-year institutions without first completing an associate ’ s degree .
But it ’ s hard to argue that bolstering retention rates for students who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t a valuable enterprise .
And this debate underscores the fact that it is a topic that requires further scholarship — making Biden ’ s addition to the field all the more germane .
And Biden has made community colleges a priority beyond her dissertation .
She has chosen to teach at one , the Northern Virginia Community College , for what the Los Angeles Times reports is less than she might have earned at a state or private institution .
Perhaps none of this should be surprising : Epstein has previously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anti-racist learning spaces ” in an August op-ed for the Wall Street Journal , in which he rhapsodizes about the “ tough-guy tradition ” of his undergraduate days .
And in 2015 , in an essay described by New York magazine ’ s Jonathan Chait as “ bizarre ” and “ rambling , ” Epstein wrote that Hillary Clinton would be “ not only be the nation ’ s first woman president but our second affirmative-action president , ” after Barack Obama .
“ How have we come to the point , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presidents of the United States not on their intrinsic qualities but because of the accidents of their birth : because they are black , or women , or , one day doubtless , gay , or disabled — not , in other words , for themselves but for the causes they seem to embody or represent , for their status as members of a victim group ?
” In the present day , Epstein ’ s final suggestion is every bit as bizarre as the rest of his Saturday op-ed : “ As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ Madame First Lady , hard-earned though it may have been , please consider stowing it , at least in public , at least for now .
Forget the small thrill of being Dr. Jill , and settle for the larger thrill of living for the next four years in the best public housing in the world as First Lady Jill Biden.
” It ’ s not clear why Epstein believes this to be an either-or proposition , but it isn ’ t .
And regardless of what Epstein thinks on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s time , there will be a First Lady Dr. Jill Biden in the White House .

On Saturday, the Wall Street Journal editorial page published an op-ed criticizing incoming First Lady Jill Biden’s use of the title “doctor” — and immediately drew backlash for the article’s open sexism and condescension.
The piece, “Is There a Doctor in the White House? Not if You Need an M.D.” by Joseph Epstein, an emeritus lecturer of English at Northwestern University, is ostensibly a foray into an ongoing debate over whether only medical doctors can claim the title, or whether it can also be used by PhDs or others with doctorates, such as Biden, who has a doctorate in educational leadership. (Many publications, including Vox, follow the Associated Press stylebook, which reserves “Dr.” for medical doctors.)
Epstein’s op-ed, though, went beyond this argument to specifically belittle Biden’s credentials and her field of study, beginning with addressing Biden — who is 69 — as “kiddo.” In the op-ed, he describes her decision to use the title of doctor as something that “sounds and feels fraudulent, not to say a touch comic.” He also dismisses her doctoral dissertation, about keeping community college students enrolled, as “unpromising,” though he does not make clear whether he has read it.
Many women in academia struggle to be addressed with the same respect given their male colleagues. And community colleges have long fought a stigma that the education they offer is inferior to their four-year counterparts.
Epstein’s op-ed played into both of those tropes — and struck a justifiable nerve.
Biden’s students call her “Dr.” — but the op-ed insists she doesn’t deserve the title
Biden, according to Politico, has two master’s degrees and earned her doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Delaware in 2007; she was a community college professor in northern Virginia while her husband was vice president. Though she took a leave of absence during the campaign, she has said that she will continue to teach while in the White House. Her students, according to Politico, call her “Dr. B.”
But Epstein suggests that Biden does not deserve to be referred to this way, writing that “a wise man once said that no one should call himself ‘Dr.’ unless he has delivered a child. Think about it, Dr. Jill, and forthwith drop the doc.” For anyone else who has earned the title to use it is “pathetic” to Epstein’s mind, and he claims it is meaningless anyway.
Epstein goes on to argue the value of a doctorate has diminished in recent years in comparison to the olden days at Columbia University, when “a secretary sat outside the room where these [doctoral examinations] were administered, a pitcher of water and a glass on her desk. The water and glass were there for the candidates who fainted.”
Epstein, who has an honorary doctorate himself but lacks one earned by study, also digresses from his critique of Biden to complain about the proliferation of honorary degrees, which recognize noteworthy contributions to scholarship, culture, or society, but don’t imply academic achievement. This is apparently a hobbyhorse of his: According to Epstein, he once sent a “complaining email” to the president of Northwestern University after Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers received honorary doctorates.
As Danielle Keifert, an assistant professor of education at the University of North Texas, succinctly put it on Twitter, “the suggestion that honorary degrees water down the value of an earned doctorate is laughable. This dude thinks because he had one given to him the rest of us didn’t earn it.”
The suggestion that honorary degrees water down the value of an earned doctorate is laughable. This dude thinks because he had one given to him the rest of us didn’t earn it. — Danielle Keifert (@dtothetk) December 12, 2020
Epstein’s claims elicited strong reactions from many who found his tone offensive and his logic lacking — critics, ranging from members of Biden’s team to her fellow academics, repeatedly pointed out that the piece seemed ill-informed, paternalistic, and misogynistic.
Biden’s future communications director Elizabeth Alexander called the piece “sexist and shameful” on Twitter, while Biden’s spokesperson, Michael LaRosa, wrote, “If you had any respect for women at all [the Wall Street Journal] would remove this repugnant display of chauvinism from your paper and apologize to her.”
“Dr. Biden can absolutely use her honorific. It was not bestowed upon her, she earned it,” Dr. Cathleen London tweeted. “Those of us with MD will not suffer for her using it,”
Sarah Parcak, an archeologist with a doctorate, responded with a tweet that reflected the overall response of many women doctors on Twitter, writing, “Dear Joseph Epstein, author of this garbage sexist article, Kiss my ass and go f*ck yourself.”
As Don Moynihan, a professor of public policy at Georgetown University, points out on Twitter, there’s a good reason that doctors outside of the field of medicine, and especially women, make a point of using the title “doctor.”
“This debate comes every so often on twitter,” Moynihan tweeted as part of a longer thread, “so here is the conclusion: PhDs predate MDs, and the medical profession grabbed the title of doctor to make themselves appear more credible [and] Female & POC scholars often [use “doctor”] as a way to insist people ... not overlook their real credentials.”
This debate comes every so often on twitter, so here is the conclusion:
*PhDs predate MDs, and the medical profession grabbed the title of doctor to make themselves appear more credible
*Female & POC scholars often as a way to insist people fo not overlook their real credentials — Don Moynihan (@donmoyn) December 12, 2020
The op-ed also implied that studying community colleges is useless
Epstein, early in his op-ed, described Biden’s dissertation, titled “Student Retention at the Community College Level: Meeting Students’ Needs,” as “unpromising.” That dismissive comment — and again, it’s unclear if Epstein actually read the dissertation, or engaged with it at all beyond sniping at its title — does a grave disservice to an important issue.
According to data from fall 2018, community college students make up about a third of the US undergraduate population — but from 2017 to 2018, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, the retention rate for two-year institutions, at about 62 percent, was almost 20 percent lower when compared to four-year institutions.
There is some debate on what this means — as Grace Chen points out for Community College Review, some students transfer from community colleges to four-year institutions without first completing an associate’s degree. But it’s hard to argue that bolstering retention rates for students who might otherwise never complete a degree isn’t a valuable enterprise. And this debate underscores the fact that it is a topic that requires further scholarship — making Biden’s addition to the field all the more germane.
And Biden has made community colleges a priority beyond her dissertation. She has chosen to teach at one, the Northern Virginia Community College, for what the Los Angeles Times reports is less than she might have earned at a state or private institution.
Perhaps none of this should be surprising: Epstein has previously mourned the rise of “inclusive and anti-racist learning spaces” in an August op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, in which he rhapsodizes about the “tough-guy tradition” of his undergraduate days.
And in 2015, in an essay described by New York magazine’s Jonathan Chait as “bizarre” and “rambling,” Epstein wrote that Hillary Clinton would be “not only be the nation’s first woman president but our second affirmative-action president,” after Barack Obama.
“How have we come to the point,” Epstein writes, “where we elect presidents of the United States not on their intrinsic qualities but because of the accidents of their birth: because they are black, or women, or, one day doubtless, gay, or disabled — not, in other words, for themselves but for the causes they seem to embody or represent, for their status as members of a victim group?”
In the present day, Epstein’s final suggestion is every bit as bizarre as the rest of his Saturday op-ed: “As for your Ed.D.,” he writes, “Madame First Lady, hard-earned though it may have been, please consider stowing it, at least in public, at least for now. Forget the small thrill of being Dr. Jill, and settle for the larger thrill of living for the next four years in the best public housing in the world as First Lady Jill Biden.”
It’s not clear why Epstein believes this to be an either-or proposition, but it isn’t. And regardless of what Epstein thinks on the topic, in roughly a month’s time, there will be a First Lady Dr. Jill Biden in the White House.


vox--2020-12-12--Iran’s execution of journalist Ruhollah Zam, briefly explained

Iranian journalist Ruhollah Zam , whose reporting helped spur large anti-government protests , was executed by Iran on Saturday morning , according to reports by state media .
Zam , 47 , was found guilty of “ corruption on earth ” and sentenced to death in June 2020 .
The sentence was upheld by Iran ’ s Supreme Court on Tuesday this week , shortly before his execution .
The vague charge of “ corruption on earth ” is often used “ in cases involving espionage or attempts to overthrow Iran ’ s government , ” Al Jazeera reported Saturday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and coordinated a Telegram channel , both of which helped spread information during a wave of anti-regime protests that shook Iran in 2017 and 2018 .
He was living abroad in Paris at the time , but returned to the Middle East in 2019 and was arrested in Iraq by members of Iran ’ s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps .
It ’ s unclear exactly why Zam returned to the region , but Karim Sadjadpour , a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace , tweeted Saturday that Zam was “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) , kidnapped , taken back to Iran , and tortured into confession .
He leaves behind a wife and two daughters.
” The international human rights group Amnesty International argued Zam ’ s conviction stemmed from a “ grossly unfair trial ” and his execution — by hanging — was rushed following the Supreme Court ruling in a “ reprehensible bid to avoid an international campaign to save his life.
” “ With the execution of Roohollah Zam , Iranian authorities join the company of criminal gangs and violent extremists who silence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Protect Journalists program coordinator Sherif Mansour said in a statement Saturday .
“ This is a monstrous and shameful act , and one which the international community must not let pass unnoticed.
” It ’ s been a tumultuous three years in Iran Zam primarily drew the ire of the Iranian regime for his role in a spate of protests almost three years ago .
According to the CPJ , he used Amad News and Telegram to spread “ embarrassing information about Iranian officials and the timings and locations of protests.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2018 when the protests were at their height , the demonstrations were sparked by outrage over the price of basic goods — specifically , eggs — but quickly morphed into something far larger , coming to encompass a wide range of frustrations with Iran ’ s government .
The protests began in Iran ’ s second-largest city , Mashhad , but gained momentum and reach as more and more people joined in .
According to Beauchamp : These newcomers shifted the tone of the protest blaming [ Iranian President Hassan Rouhani ] @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Iranian government and political system more broadly .
Then the protests began spreading to dozens of towns and cities across Iran .
By January 2 , protests had been recorded “ in nearly every province ” in the country , according to the Associated Press .
And these protests were targeting not just the Rouhani presidency but the Islamic Republic itself — chanting , “ Death to the dictator ” ( referring to Iran ’ s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei ) , and , “ Death to the Revolutionary Guard , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They ’ ve also called out the government ’ s support for the Assad regime , questioning why Iran is spending money there when there are problems at home .
All told , tens of thousands of people across the country turned out to protest against the theocratic Iranian regime , and at least 21 people were killed by security forces .
President Donald Trump — who has consistently taken a hard line against Iran and withdrew the US from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action , better known as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the protests at the time .
“ The great Iranian people have been repressed for many years , ” he said .
“ They are hungry for food & for freedom .
Along with human rights , the wealth of Iran is being looted .
TIME FOR CHANGE !
” The protests eventually subsided in January 2018 , but remain among the largest the country has seen since the 2009 Green Movement , which demanded democratic reforms .
At the time , Iran ’ s supreme leader , Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Israel , and Saudi Arabia .
All three countries , as well as a handful of others , were mentioned in a filmed “ apology ” — very likely a coerced apology — Zam made , that was shared by Iran ’ s Tasnim News Agency after the journalist was arrested .
Zam fled Iran after the Green Movement protests , which were catalyzed by Iran ’ s June 2009 presidential election .
He was granted asylum in France and lived there until his capture by Iran in 2019 .
Recently , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protests — first over a sharp hike to fuel prices in 2019 , and then following the 2020 destruction of a Ukrainian jetliner flying out of Tehran by Iranian security forces .
The country has also faced external pressures : Just last month , Iran ’ s top nuclear scientist , Mohsen Fakhrizadeh , was assassinated , driving regional tensions even higher .
President-elect Joe Biden has indicated that he plans to reenter the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran — first negotiated by President Barack Obama while Biden was vice president — once @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s death has been seen by some analysts as making even a moderate rapprochement between the US and Iran more difficult to achieve .
It ’ s unclear what impact , if any , Zam ’ s execution will have on Iran ’ s already poor international reputation .
The country is a notorious human rights abuser and executed wrestler Navid Afkari in September this year for the alleged murder of a security guard during the same 2018 protests .
“ If I am executed , I want you to know that an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and fought with all his strength to be heard , was executed , ” Afkari said before his death .
The US , in the midst of its own spate of executions — some of prisoners of questionable guilt — has signaled of late that it intends to continue to apply pressure on Iran , particularly on nuclear issues .
And in its statement Saturday , Amnesty International called for the global community to take action .
“ The world must not stand by in silence as the Iranian authorities take their already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and freedom [ of ] expression to unprecedented levels , ” the group said .
“ We call on the international community , including member states of the UN Human Rights Council and the EU , to take immediate action to pressure the Iranian authorities to halt their escalating use of the death penalty as a weapon of political repression .
”

Iranian journalist Ruhollah Zam, whose reporting helped spur large anti-government protests, was executed by Iran on Saturday morning, according to reports by state media.
Zam, 47, was found guilty of “corruption on earth” and sentenced to death in June 2020. The sentence was upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court on Tuesday this week, shortly before his execution.
The vague charge of “corruption on earth” is often used “in cases involving espionage or attempts to overthrow Iran’s government,” Al Jazeera reported Saturday.
Zam ran the site Amad News and coordinated a Telegram channel, both of which helped spread information during a wave of anti-regime protests that shook Iran in 2017 and 2018. He was living abroad in Paris at the time, but returned to the Middle East in 2019 and was arrested in Iraq by members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
It’s unclear exactly why Zam returned to the region, but Karim Sadjadpour, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, tweeted Saturday that Zam was “reportedly lured to Iraq (from France), kidnapped, taken back to Iran, and tortured into confession. He leaves behind a wife and two daughters.”
Iran just executed dissident social media activist and French resident Rouhollah Zam. He was reportedly lured to Iraq (from France), kidnapped, taken back to Iran, and tortured into confession. He leaves behind a wife and two daughters. https://t.co/1lTng7dnaF — Karim Sadjadpour (@ksadjadpour) December 12, 2020
Zam’s execution has drawn international condemnation.
The international human rights group Amnesty International argued Zam’s conviction stemmed from a “grossly unfair trial” and his execution — by hanging — was rushed following the Supreme Court ruling in a “reprehensible bid to avoid an international campaign to save his life.”
“With the execution of Roohollah Zam, Iranian authorities join the company of criminal gangs and violent extremists who silence journalists by murdering them,” Committee to Protect Journalists program coordinator Sherif Mansour said in a statement Saturday. “This is a monstrous and shameful act, and one which the international community must not let pass unnoticed.”
It’s been a tumultuous three years in Iran
Zam primarily drew the ire of the Iranian regime for his role in a spate of protests almost three years ago. According to the CPJ, he used Amad News and Telegram to spread “embarrassing information about Iranian officials and the timings and locations of protests.”
As Vox’s Zack Beauchamp explained in 2018 when the protests were at their height, the demonstrations were sparked by outrage over the price of basic goods — specifically, eggs — but quickly morphed into something far larger, coming to encompass a wide range of frustrations with Iran’s government.
The protests began in Iran’s second-largest city, Mashhad, but gained momentum and reach as more and more people joined in. According to Beauchamp:
These newcomers shifted the tone of the protest blaming [Iranian President Hassan Rouhani] for the poor economic performance to blaming the Iranian government and political system more broadly. Then the protests began spreading to dozens of towns and cities across Iran. By January 2, protests had been recorded “in nearly every province” in the country, according to the Associated Press. And these protests were targeting not just the Rouhani presidency but the Islamic Republic itself — chanting, “Death to the dictator” (referring to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei), and, “Death to the Revolutionary Guard,” referring to Iran’s security forces. They’ve also called out the government’s support for the Assad regime, questioning why Iran is spending money there when there are problems at home.
All told, tens of thousands of people across the country turned out to protest against the theocratic Iranian regime, and at least 21 people were killed by security forces.
President Donald Trump — who has consistently taken a hard line against Iran and withdrew the US from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, better known as the Iran nuclear deal — tweeted in support of the protests at the time.
“The great Iranian people have been repressed for many years,” he said. “They are hungry for food & for freedom. Along with human rights, the wealth of Iran is being looted. TIME FOR CHANGE!”
Iran is failing at every level despite the terrible deal made with them by the Obama Administration. The great Iranian people have been repressed for many years. They are hungry for food & for freedom. Along with human rights, the wealth of Iran is being looted. TIME FOR CHANGE! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 1, 2018
The protests eventually subsided in January 2018, but remain among the largest the country has seen since the 2009 Green Movement, which demanded democratic reforms.
At the time, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, blamed the 2018 protests on the US, Israel, and Saudi Arabia. All three countries, as well as a handful of others, were mentioned in a filmed “apology” — very likely a coerced apology — Zam made, that was shared by Iran’s Tasnim News Agency after the journalist was arrested.
Zam fled Iran after the Green Movement protests, which were catalyzed by Iran’s June 2009 presidential election. He was granted asylum in France and lived there until his capture by Iran in 2019.
Recently, Iran has been wracked by even more protests — first over a sharp hike to fuel prices in 2019, and then following the 2020 destruction of a Ukrainian jetliner flying out of Tehran by Iranian security forces.
The country has also faced external pressures: Just last month, Iran’s top nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, was assassinated, driving regional tensions even higher. President-elect Joe Biden has indicated that he plans to reenter the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran — first negotiated by President Barack Obama while Biden was vice president — once he takes office, but Fakhrizadeh’s death has been seen by some analysts as making even a moderate rapprochement between the US and Iran more difficult to achieve.
It’s unclear what impact, if any, Zam’s execution will have on Iran’s already poor international reputation. The country is a notorious human rights abuser and executed wrestler Navid Afkari in September this year for the alleged murder of a security guard during the same 2018 protests.
“If I am executed, I want you to know that an innocent person, even though he tried and fought with all his strength to be heard, was executed,” Afkari said before his death.
The US, in the midst of its own spate of executions — some of prisoners of questionable guilt — has signaled of late that it intends to continue to apply pressure on Iran, particularly on nuclear issues. And in its statement Saturday, Amnesty International called for the global community to take action.
“The world must not stand by in silence as the Iranian authorities take their already horrific attacks on the right to life and freedom [of] expression to unprecedented levels,” the group said. “We call on the international community, including member states of the UN Human Rights Council and the EU, to take immediate action to pressure the Iranian authorities to halt their escalating use of the death penalty as a weapon of political repression.”


vox--2020-12-12--The Supreme Court rejects Texas’s undemocratic election lawsuit

On Friday evening , the Supreme Court handed President Donald Trump his latest defeat in his campaign to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election , which was won five weeks ago by President-elect Joe Biden .
In an unsigned order , the Court rejected for lack of standing a Texas lawsuit attempting to reverse the election results in four swing states , all of which Biden won .
“ Texas , ” the Court wrote , “ has not demonstrated a judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another State conducts its elections .
All other pending @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Friday , Trump has been coping with this loss by sending more than a dozen tweets or retweets complaining about the ruling , and spreading disinformation .
“ It is a legal disgrace , an embarrassment to the USA !
!
!
” Trump tweeted in the early hours of Saturday morning , citing a lie from Texas Lt. Gov .
Dan Patrick claiming that no court has judged any legal challenge to the election “ on its merit.
” In reality , courts have found these challenges to be meritless .
Later @ @ @ @ @ @ @ characterized the Friday decision as “ a great and disgraceful miscarriage of justice .
The people of the United States were cheated , and our Country disgraced .
Never even given our day in Court !
” Trump also amplified baseless voter fraud allegations , incorrectly claiming , “ I WON THE ELECTION IN A LANDSLIDE , but remember , I only think in terms of legal votes , not all of the fake voters and fraud that miraculously floated in from everywhere !
” Biden , of course , not only won @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but won the popular vote by more than 7 million votes .
And election officials — including those who have conducted several recounts — have found no evidence of any widespread fraud .
And the president attacked GOP governors in states won by Biden , calling them “ RINOs ” — shorthand for “ Republicans in name only ” — and telling supporters to vote Republican governors Brian Kemp of Georgia and Doug Ducey of Arizona out of office .
He also had harsh words for his own attorney general , angry that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigations of Biden ’ s son , Hunter Biden , quiet until after the election .
The Supreme Court made it clear it ’ s not going to illegally hand Trump another term Needless to say , Trump ’ s Saturday Twitter rampage is more or less entirely disconnected from reality .
First and foremost , the president has had his day in court .
In fact , he ’ s had many days in court .
Specifically , Friday ’ s order marks the second Supreme Court defeat for Trump this week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Marc Elias , Trump and his Republican allies are now 1-57 in post-election lawsuits , including Friday ’ s Supreme Court order .
A statement in Friday ’ s order by Justice Samuel Alito — joined by fellow conservative Justice Clarence Thomas — made it clear Trump should give up hope that the Supreme Court might decide to overturn the election ’ s result .
Trump , who retweeted a message thanking Alito and Thomas on Saturday , doesn ’ t quite appear to have figured this out yet .
“ The Supreme @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the greatest voter fraud ever perpetrated on the United States of America , ” Trump tweeted Saturday .
“ All they were interested in is ‘ standing ’ , which makes it very difficult for the President to present a case on the merits .
75,000,000 votes !
” But in the order , Alito goes out of his way to specify that though he believes the Court lacks discretion to deny standing to the Texas lawsuit , he “ would not grant other relief ” beyond allowing a motion to file @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because , as has been pointed out at great length by Republicans and Democrats alike , the Texas lawsuit — described by Pennsylvania in a court filing as “ legally indefensible and ... an affront to principles of constitutional democracy ” — was flat-out ridiculous .
So ridiculous , in fact , that two nonexistent “ states ” — “ New California ” and “ New Nevada ” — filed an amicus brief supporting the Texas lawsuit .
As the Washington Post ’ s Philip Bump puts it : “ Taking Paxton ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hand , is nearly impossible , given how many dubious assertions it makes .
...
Experts are generally of the opinion that Texas has no basis to sue , lacks the evidence necessary to sustain its claims , relies on faulty rhetoric and analysis and won ’ t have its lawsuit heard by the court .
Otherwise , it ’ s swell.
” But while the lawsuit itself is nonsensical , its defeat is important , as it further erodes the possibility that the GOP will find a way to subvert democracy and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
For all its scant legal merit , however , the Texas lawsuit found major traction within the Republican Party .
More than 60 percent of the House Republican Conference — 126 lawmakers , including Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy — signed onto an amicus brief in support of the Texas lawsuit , as did 17 state attorneys general .
Republican leaders in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives — one of the states targeted in the suit — also joined in .
This sparked considerable outrage , for obvious reasons .
Even though the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it marked a staggering , unprecedented attempt by a major party to subvert democracy in service of a president who lost reelection by more than 7 million votes .
In remarks on the Senate floor Friday , Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut described the effort as “ the most serious attempt to overthrow our democracy in the history of our of country.
” “ Those who are pushing to make Donald Trump President , no matter the outcome of the election , are engaged in a treachery against their nation , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for many Republicans , though , is clear : Better treachery than facing a Trump-backed primary challenger in their next election .
Trump has long made a habit of tearing into Republicans he views as insufficiently loyal to him personally , and if anything , that habit has only escalated since losing reelection .
He did so again Saturday , in his targeting of Kemp and Ducey — both Republican governors of swing states he lost , and whose states were targeted by Texas ’ s lawsuit .
“ Who is a worse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dougducey of Arizona ?
?
?
” Trump tweeted .
“ These are two RINO Republicans who fought against me and the Republican Party harder than any Democrat .
They allowed states that I won easily to be stolen .
Never forget , vote them out of office !
” And rather than be excommunicated by tweet , vast swaths of the Republican establishment chose to back a dangerous , undemocratic , but almost certainly doomed to fail lawsuit to overturn the will of the people rather than break with Trump .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the status of American democracy , but it won ’ t save Trump ’ s flagging legal efforts , which for all practical purposes fizzled out long ago .
On Monday , the Electoral College will meet and formally elect Joe Biden president , 306 electoral votes to Trump ’ s 232 .
In at least one state , Michigan , electors have been offered police protection on the way to cast their votes because of concerns about protesters .
After that , on January 6 , Congress will meet to officially count @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the process .
As Vox ’ s Andrew Prokop has explained , there ’ s a good chance that won ’ t go smoothly thanks to challenges by congressional Republicans , but “ there ’ s no plausible way for a challenge to succeed.
” Two weeks later , on January 20 , Biden will be sworn into office .
Despite all this , Trump tweeted on Saturday that “ WE HAVE JUST BEGUN TO FIGHT !
!
!
” But that , too , misses the reality of the situation .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Biden will be the next president of the United States .

On Friday evening, the Supreme Court handed President Donald Trump his latest defeat in his campaign to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, which was won five weeks ago by President-elect Joe Biden. In an unsigned order, the Court rejected for lack of standing a Texas lawsuit attempting to reverse the election results in four swing states, all of which Biden won.
“Texas,” the Court wrote, “has not demonstrated a judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another State conducts its elections. All other pending motions are dismissed as moot.”
Since Friday, Trump has been coping with this loss by sending more than a dozen tweets or retweets complaining about the ruling, and spreading disinformation.
“It is a legal disgrace, an embarrassment to the USA!!!” Trump tweeted in the early hours of Saturday morning, citing a lie from Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick claiming that no court has judged any legal challenge to the election “on its merit.” In reality, courts have found these challenges to be meritless.
“We’ve not gotten any court to judge this (the vote) on its merit.” @DanPatrick of Texas. It is a legal disgrace, an embarrassment to the USA!!! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2020
Later the same morning, the president falsely characterized the Friday decision as “a great and disgraceful miscarriage of justice. The people of the United States were cheated, and our Country disgraced. Never even given our day in Court!”
“Justices Alito and Thomas say they would have allowed Texas to proceed with its election lawsuit.” @seanhannity This is a great and disgraceful miscarriage of justice. The people of the United States were cheated, and our Country disgraced. Never even given our day in Court! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2020
Trump also amplified baseless voter fraud allegations, incorrectly claiming, “I WON THE ELECTION IN A LANDSLIDE, but remember, I only think in terms of legal votes, not all of the fake voters and fraud that miraculously floated in from everywhere!”
Biden, of course, not only won the Electoral College by 74 votes, but won the popular vote by more than 7 million votes. And election officials — including those who have conducted several recounts — have found no evidence of any widespread fraud.
And the president attacked GOP governors in states won by Biden, calling them “RINOs” — shorthand for “Republicans in name only” — and telling supporters to vote Republican governors Brian Kemp of Georgia and Doug Ducey of Arizona out of office.
He also had harsh words for his own attorney general, angry that he followed Justice Department procedure in keeping investigations of Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, quiet until after the election.
The Supreme Court made it clear it’s not going to illegally hand Trump another term
Needless to say, Trump’s Saturday Twitter rampage is more or less entirely disconnected from reality. First and foremost, the president has had his day in court. In fact, he’s had many days in court.
Specifically, Friday’s order marks the second Supreme Court defeat for Trump this week, and according to Democratic voting-rights lawyer Marc Elias, Trump and his Republican allies are now 1-57 in post-election lawsuits, including Friday’s Supreme Court order.
A statement in Friday’s order by Justice Samuel Alito — joined by fellow conservative Justice Clarence Thomas — made it clear Trump should give up hope that the Supreme Court might decide to overturn the election’s result.
Trump, who retweeted a message thanking Alito and Thomas on Saturday, doesn’t quite appear to have figured this out yet.
“The Supreme Court had ZERO interest in the merits of the greatest voter fraud ever perpetrated on the United States of America,” Trump tweeted Saturday. “All they were interested in is ‘standing’, which makes it very difficult for the President to present a case on the merits. 75,000,000 votes!”
But in the order, Alito goes out of his way to specify that though he believes the Court lacks discretion to deny standing to the Texas lawsuit, he “would not grant other relief” beyond allowing a motion to file the complaint.
That’s likely because, as has been pointed out at great length by Republicans and Democrats alike, the Texas lawsuit — described by Pennsylvania in a court filing as “legally indefensible and ... an affront to principles of constitutional democracy” — was flat-out ridiculous.
So ridiculous, in fact, that two nonexistent “states” — “New California” and “New Nevada” — filed an amicus brief supporting the Texas lawsuit.
Two states that don't exist are trying to throw out the votes of people in four states that do. Whatever. https://t.co/B4fFlsAaMs — Brad Heath (@bradheath) December 11, 2020
As the Washington Post’s Philip Bump puts it: “Taking Paxton’s lawsuit literally, on the other hand, is nearly impossible, given how many dubious assertions it makes. ... Experts are generally of the opinion that Texas has no basis to sue, lacks the evidence necessary to sustain its claims, relies on faulty rhetoric and analysis and won’t have its lawsuit heard by the court. Otherwise, it’s swell.”
But while the lawsuit itself is nonsensical, its defeat is important, as it further erodes the possibility that the GOP will find a way to subvert democracy and install Trump to an unelected second term.
Republicans chose Trump over democracy
For all its scant legal merit, however, the Texas lawsuit found major traction within the Republican Party. More than 60 percent of the House Republican Conference — 126 lawmakers, including Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy — signed onto an amicus brief in support of the Texas lawsuit, as did 17 state attorneys general.
The House Republicans just updated their SCOTUS brief to make clear that it's not actually 107 Republican House members who want the Supreme Court to overturn Trump's defeat by discarding millions of votes.
It's 126.
(Almost 2/3 of the GOP caucus.) https://t.co/OJVaVEPK4k pic.twitter.com/Sdghb4VO76 — Brad Heath (@bradheath) December 11, 2020
Republican leaders in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives — one of the states targeted in the suit — also joined in.
This sparked considerable outrage, for obvious reasons. Even though the Texas lawsuit had little chance of succeeding, it marked a staggering, unprecedented attempt by a major party to subvert democracy in service of a president who lost reelection by more than 7 million votes.
In remarks on the Senate floor Friday, Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut described the effort as “the most serious attempt to overthrow our democracy in the history of our of country.”
“Those who are pushing to make Donald Trump President, no matter the outcome of the election, are engaged in a treachery against their nation,” Murphy said.
“Right now, the most serious attempt to overthrow our democracy in the history of our of country is underway.
Those who are pushing to make Donald Trump President, no matter the outcome of the election, are engaged in a treachery against their nation.” pic.twitter.com/FE7K91nlSD — Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) December 11, 2020
The political calculus for many Republicans, though, is clear: Better treachery than facing a Trump-backed primary challenger in their next election.
Trump has long made a habit of tearing into Republicans he views as insufficiently loyal to him personally, and if anything, that habit has only escalated since losing reelection. He did so again Saturday, in his targeting of Kemp and Ducey — both Republican governors of swing states he lost, and whose states were targeted by Texas’s lawsuit.
“Who is a worse governor, @BrianKempGA of Georgia or @dougducey of Arizona???” Trump tweeted. “These are two RINO Republicans who fought against me and the Republican Party harder than any Democrat. They allowed states that I won easily to be stolen. Never forget, vote them out of office!”
And rather than be excommunicated by tweet, vast swaths of the Republican establishment chose to back a dangerous, undemocratic, but almost certainly doomed to fail lawsuit to overturn the will of the people rather than break with Trump.
It’s a grim statement about the status of American democracy, but it won’t save Trump’s flagging legal efforts, which for all practical purposes fizzled out long ago.
On Monday, the Electoral College will meet and formally elect Joe Biden president, 306 electoral votes to Trump’s 232. In at least one state, Michigan, electors have been offered police protection on the way to cast their votes because of concerns about protesters.
"What is the downside for humoring him for this little bit of time?"https://t.co/BdGxpqSVNe — Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) December 11, 2020
After that, on January 6, Congress will meet to officially count the Electoral College votes, closing out the process. As Vox’s Andrew Prokop has explained, there’s a good chance that won’t go smoothly thanks to challenges by congressional Republicans, but “there’s no plausible way for a challenge to succeed.” Two weeks later, on January 20, Biden will be sworn into office.
Despite all this, Trump tweeted on Saturday that “WE HAVE JUST BEGUN TO FIGHT!!!”
But that, too, misses the reality of the situation. The election is over. He lost, and Biden will be the next president of the United States.


vox--2020-12-13--The US will start Covid-19 vaccinations this week, FDA says

On Sunday , the first batches of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine were loaded onto trucks and cargo planes to be distributed around the United States .
Doses of the vaccine , which received an emergency use authorization ( EUA ) from the Food and Drug Administration on Friday , will be sent to all 50 states , and vaccinations could begin as soon as Monday , FDA commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn said Sunday .
Nearly 3 million doses will be delivered in the first round of shipments , Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told CBS News ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sunday .
“ We ’ re shipping 2.9 million doses of vaccine , ” Azar said .
“ So whenever they get them in arms , that ’ s 2.9 million people getting vaccinated.
” Azar also said that a second shipment of doses — the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine requires two separate shots , administered three weeks apart , to be fully effective — would be reserved to ensure those who received the first dose would be able to complete their course .
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is estimated to be about 95 percent effective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , health care workers , as well as essential workers in other industries , and people over the age of 65 or with “ underlying medical conditions ” that place them in a high-risk category , will be first in line for the vaccine .
A committee that advises the CDC has further recommenced that health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities — a group of about 24 million people — be at the very front of the line .
Exactly how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to receive the vaccine is not clear , however .
On Sunday , Azar said he was optimistic about the initial vaccine distribution .
“ We could have every nursing home patient vaccinated in the United States by Christmas , ” Azar told Brennan , and as many as 20 million people vaccinated by the end of the December .
HHS , however , has reportedly offered different guidance , telling health providers to begin vaccinating those in care homes on December 21 , which would likely mean that all residents would not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commissioner and current Pfizer board member Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CBS News this delay was mandated to allow time for residents and guardians to provide consent .
“ It ’ s a very costly delay , ” Gottlieb said .
Azar also predicted that as many as 100 million Americans will be vaccinated by the end of February , an estimate that aligns closely with President-elect Joe Biden ’ s plan to see 50 million people vaccinated within his first 100 days in office .
On Fox News Sunday , Dr. Moncef Slaoui @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Warp Speed , the federal vaccine development program — clarified that those projections rely on further vaccine candidates being granted EUAs .
A second EUA , for Moderna ’ s Covid-19 vaccine , could be forthcoming shortly .
An FDA advisory panel is scheduled to review the vaccine on December 17 , and the US has ordered 200 million total doses in anticipation of its approval .
And Slaoui said Johnson and Johnson ’ s vaccine candidate — which would require only one dose — could be approved in late January or early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccine trails that of the UK — which cleared it for emergency use last week and started vaccinations Tuesday — as well as that of Canada .
This led the White House to pressure the FDA to get the EUA over the finish line by Friday .
In a tweet , President Donald Trump attacked the agency as “ a big , old , slow turtle.
” Separately , the Washington Post reported Friday that White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told the FDA ’ s Stephen Hahn that Hahn might be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t issued that day .
Hahn defended the timeline Sunday , saying that his agency worked with all possible speed to get the vaccine authorized .
That shouldn ’ t undermine confidence in the vaccine , though : It was reviewed by an independent advisory panel on Thursday prior to the EUA , and the FDA concluded that the vaccine had “ a favorable safety profile , with no specific safety concerns.
” Despite a vaccine , the US is entering the darkest phase of the pandemic Sunday ’ s vaccine shipments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The coronavirus is currently spreading out of control in the US as deaths and hospitalizations from the virus rise to unprecedented levels .
As of Saturday , the country was averaging more than 208,000 new Covid-19 cases per day , according to the New York Times , after crossing the 200,000 per day mark for the first time on November 27 .
And on Wednesday , the US reported more than 3,000 deaths in a single day for the first time ever .
Hospitalizations broke the 100,000 mark for the first time earlier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ever since .
Things aren ’ t likely to get better for some time , either .
According to CDC Director Robert Redfield , the US may well “ have more deaths per day than we had in 9/11 ” for the next 60 to 90 days .
Biden , who has put his Covid-19 response plan front and center during the presidential transition , has been equally dire in his warnings .
“ Christmas is going to be a lot harder , ” he said last week .
“ I don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but understand the facts — we ’ re likely to lose another 250,000 people dead between now and January.
” Currently , the US death toll stands at more than 298,000 people , according to the New York Times .
The pandemic is also leaving hospitals and health care workers depleted and exhausted .
According to Dr. Vin Gupta , “ there ’ s just not enough doctors , nurses and respiratory therapists to staff intensive care unit beds ” in some places .
In Mississippi , for instance , there are no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to get suboptimal care , ” Gupta told NBC .
In California , dwindling ICU capacity triggered a wave of new shutdowns last weekend .
With intensive care units below 15 percent capacity in some parts of the state , more than 33 million Californians are once again under lockdown orders .
Beyond the immediate crisis , public health experts have also emphasized that now is not the time to relax best practices in anticipation of a vaccine .
As Vox ’ s Umair Irfan explained last month , there are lots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to scale up distribution for a mass vaccination campaign : A global supply chain , from the glass vials that hold the vaccine to the syringes used to inject them , needs to spool up to make huge quantities of the vaccine .
Manufacturers will also have to ensure that vaccines remain intact and under strict temperature controls from the factory to the hospitals and clinics where they will be used .
The process of manufacturing , distributing , and administering a vaccine could take months .
It ’ s also important to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on its own to end the pandemic .
Measures like social distancing , good hygiene , and wearing face masks will remain essential to control the spread of Covid-19 until a vaccine is widely available .
Public acceptance will also be a major issue , and health officials will have to overcome a rising wave of vaccine hesitancy .
In the meantime , Americans will need to do everything possible to tamp down the virus ’ s uncontrolled spread — and no matter what , Redfield warns , the coming months may be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public health history of this nation .
”

On Sunday, the first batches of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine were loaded onto trucks and cargo planes to be distributed around the United States.
Doses of the vaccine, which received an emergency use authorization (EUA) from the Food and Drug Administration on Friday, will be sent to all 50 states, and vaccinations could begin as soon as Monday, FDA commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn said Sunday.
The FedEx plane that will transport the first shipment of the Pfizer- BioNTech vaccine in the US now has its cargo door open here at @FlyGRFord.... vaccines should be loaded on soon, then flight takes off for Memphis- from there shipments will be dispatched around the country pic.twitter.com/i0DrMW1i2a — Dianne Gallagher (@DianneG) December 13, 2020
Nearly 3 million doses will be delivered in the first round of shipments, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told CBS News’s Margaret Brennan on Face The Nation this Sunday.
“We’re shipping 2.9 million doses of vaccine,” Azar said. “So whenever they get them in arms, that’s 2.9 million people getting vaccinated.”
NEWS: @HHSGov's @SecAzar tells @margbrennan states will administer vaccines “as soon as they’re able to,” but did not offer a figure for the number of Americans who will be *vaccinated* by the end of the week.
2.9 million doses will be *distributed* by end of week pic.twitter.com/I2CMErrUVF — Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) December 13, 2020
Azar also said that a second shipment of doses — the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine requires two separate shots, administered three weeks apart, to be fully effective — would be reserved to ensure those who received the first dose would be able to complete their course.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is estimated to be about 95 percent effective in preventing Covid-19.
According to recommendations published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, health care workers, as well as essential workers in other industries, and people over the age of 65 or with “underlying medical conditions” that place them in a high-risk category, will be first in line for the vaccine. A committee that advises the CDC has further recommended that health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities — a group of about 24 million people — be at the very front of the line.
Exactly how quickly these at-risk populations will be able to receive the vaccine is not clear, however. On Sunday, Azar said he was optimistic about the initial vaccine distribution.
“We could have every nursing home patient vaccinated in the United States by Christmas,” Azar told Brennan, and as many as 20 million people vaccinated by the end of the December.
HHS, however, has reportedly offered different guidance, telling health providers to begin vaccinating those in care homes on December 21, which would likely mean that all residents would not be vaccinated by Christmas. Former FDA commissioner and current Pfizer board member Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CBS News this delay was mandated to allow time for residents and guardians to provide consent. “It’s a very costly delay,” Gottlieb said.
Azar also predicted that as many as 100 million Americans will be vaccinated by the end of February, an estimate that aligns closely with President-elect Joe Biden’s plan to see 50 million people vaccinated within his first 100 days in office.
On Fox News Sunday, Dr. Moncef Slaoui — the chief medical adviser of Operation Warp Speed, the federal vaccine development program — clarified that those projections rely on further vaccine candidates being granted EUAs.
A second EUA, for Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine, could be forthcoming shortly. An FDA advisory panel is scheduled to review the vaccine on December 17, and the US has ordered 200 million total doses in anticipation of its approval. And Slaoui said Johnson and Johnson’s vaccine candidate — which would require only one dose — could be approved in late January or early February.
US authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine trails that of the UK — which cleared it for emergency use last week and started vaccinations Tuesday — as well as that of Canada.
This led the White House to pressure the FDA to get the EUA over the finish line by Friday. In a tweet, President Donald Trump attacked the agency as “a big, old, slow turtle.”
While my pushing the money drenched but heavily bureaucratic @US_FDA saved five years in the approval of NUMEROUS great new vaccines, it is still a big, old, slow turtle. Get the dam vaccines out NOW, Dr. Hahn @SteveFDA. Stop playing games and start saving lives!!! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 11, 2020
Separately, the Washington Post reported Friday that White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told the FDA’s Stephen Hahn that Hahn might be forced to resign if the EUA wasn’t issued that day. Hahn defended the timeline Sunday, saying that his agency worked with all possible speed to get the vaccine authorized.
That shouldn’t undermine confidence in the vaccine, though: It was reviewed by an independent advisory panel on Thursday prior to the EUA, and the FDA concluded that the vaccine had “a favorable safety profile, with no specific safety concerns.”
Despite a vaccine, the US is entering the darkest phase of the pandemic
Sunday’s vaccine shipments come not a moment too soon. The coronavirus is currently spreading out of control in the US as deaths and hospitalizations from the virus rise to unprecedented levels.
As of Saturday, the country was averaging more than 208,000 new Covid-19 cases per day, according to the New York Times, after crossing the 200,000 per day mark for the first time on November 27.
And on Wednesday, the US reported more than 3,000 deaths in a single day for the first time ever. Hospitalizations broke the 100,000 mark for the first time earlier this month, and have climbed steadily ever since.
Things aren’t likely to get better for some time, either. According to CDC Director Robert Redfield, the US may well “have more deaths per day than we had in 9/11” for the next 60 to 90 days.
Biden, who has put his Covid-19 response plan front and center during the presidential transition, has been equally dire in his warnings.
“Christmas is going to be a lot harder,” he said last week. “I don’t want to scare anybody here, but understand the facts — we’re likely to lose another 250,000 people dead between now and January.”
Currently, the US death toll stands at more than 298,000 people, according to the New York Times.
The pandemic is also leaving hospitals and health care workers depleted and exhausted. According to Dr. Vin Gupta, “there’s just not enough doctors, nurses and respiratory therapists to staff intensive care unit beds” in some places. In Mississippi, for instance, there are no ICU beds left.
“People are going to get suboptimal care,” Gupta told NBC.
In California, dwindling ICU capacity triggered a wave of new shutdowns last weekend. With intensive care units below 15 percent capacity in some parts of the state, more than 33 million Californians are once again under lockdown orders.
Beyond the immediate crisis, public health experts have also emphasized that now is not the time to relax best practices in anticipation of a vaccine. As Vox’s Umair Irfan explained last month, there are lots of steps that need to be taken to scale up distribution for a mass vaccination campaign:
A global supply chain, from the glass vials that hold the vaccine to the syringes used to inject them, needs to spool up to make huge quantities of the vaccine. Manufacturers will also have to ensure that vaccines remain intact and under strict temperature controls from the factory to the hospitals and clinics where they will be used. The process of manufacturing, distributing, and administering a vaccine could take months. ... It’s also important to remember that a vaccine is not enough on its own to end the pandemic. Measures like social distancing, good hygiene, and wearing face masks will remain essential to control the spread of Covid-19 until a vaccine is widely available. Public acceptance will also be a major issue, and health officials will have to overcome a rising wave of vaccine hesitancy.
In the meantime, Americans will need to do everything possible to tamp down the virus’s uncontrolled spread — and no matter what, Redfield warns, the coming months may be “the most difficult time in the public health history of this nation.”


vox--2020-12-13--Pro-Trump protesters rally for a coup: “We’re not going anywhere”

Supporters of President Donald Trump demonstrated against the results of the 2020 presidential election on Saturday , in a series of rallies that underscored the hold the president retains on backers both within and outside the Republican Party .
At least two of these protests ultimately became violent — four people were stabbed in Washington , DC , and one person was shot in the city of Olympia , in Washington state .
No deaths were reported , though all four stabbing victims are said to be hospitalized in critical condition as of Sunday .
As of early Sunday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the shooting victim in Washington state .
In addition to the four people who were stabbed , at least five others were hospitalized in DC on Saturday , and more than 20 people were arrested on a variety of charges , including assault .
Three people , including the suspected shooter , were arrested in Olympia , according to the Olympian .
Members of the Proud Boys — a violent , neofascist hate group that frequently traffics in white nationalism and misogyny — were also recorded in DC assaulting bystanders and destroying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group tore down Black Lives Matter signs from multiple DC churches , and burned at least one sign .
The Proud Boys were in Washington , DC , for overlapping protests meant to show support for Trump ’ s false claim that the election was stolen from him .
Members of the religious far right , as well as attendees of a second “ Million MAGA March ” — a sequel to a November event that saw tens of thousands of Trump supporters protest in the capital — all converged on DC .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ than the one in November , featuring a few thousand people , but was nevertheless celebrated by the president .
“ Wow !
Thousands of people forming in Washington ( D.C. ) for Stop the Steal , ” he tweeted Saturday morning .
“ Didn ’ t know about this , but I ’ ll be seeing them !
” Trump later shared video of the rally on Twitter , which showed a tightly packed crowd of maskless supporters cheering on Marine One as it flew overhead .
It was a similar story @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from presidential aircraft , and on a smaller scale .
According to the Seattle Times , pro-Trump rallies have become “ a regular weekend occurrence at Washington ’ s Capitol campus , ” and Trump supporters clashed with counterprotesters throughout the day Saturday .
Both events came as Trump approaches his sixth week of denying President-elect Joe Biden ’ s victory in the 2020 presidential election , which took place on November 3 , and as the president continues to spread disinformation about the election ’ s results .
Those results will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ College votes to formally elect Biden .
The rhetoric of the protesters and their leaders , however , suggests that fact will have little influence on false claims the election was stolen from Biden — and that the president ’ s supporters will remain loyal to him and his alternate-reality claims .
Trump ’ s rhetoric is emboldening his supporters — and solidifying their support The events in Washington , DC , featured not just Proud Boys and grassroots activists , but an eclectic parade of well-known Trump allies , conspiracy theorists , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s efforts to spread disinformation , encouraged the crowd to continue to reject the results of the election , and made their loyalty to Trump plain .
Recently pardoned former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn told the crowd how important it was to let Trump know “ that we love him.
” And MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell joined many of the day ’ s speakers in placing the president ’ s struggle to overturn the election ’ s results in a religious context , saying the world may now be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ took time during his speech — as the president has done repeatedly in recent days — to call out Republicans who have been insufficiently fervent in their defenses of Trump ’ s lies about the election , calling them “ cowards , ” and warning them , “ We ’ re not going anywhere.
” Other prominent figures went further than Lindell ; speaking to a crowd of supporters , Nick Fuentes — a white nationalist leader in a far-right movement that views many Trump allies as insufficiently conservative — said , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” The crowd responded by chanting , “ Destroy the GOP , ” and with boos when Fuentes brought up Georgia Sens .
Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue .
Both are running in January special elections , and the GOP ’ s Senate majority rests on both winning .
Other speakers included Alex Jones — a conspiracy theorist known for harassing the families of mass shooting victims and promoting 9/11 trutherism — and US Representative-elect Bob Good of Virginia , who began his speech by describing the coronavirus as a “ phony pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 300,000 people have now died of Covid-19 in the US .
QAnon , the insane pro-Trump conspiracy theory that posits the existence of a global cabal of Satanic pedophiles , was also represented at the rally .
Across the board , however , Saturday ’ s rallygoers emphasized their dedication to Trump — and his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and install himself to an unelected second term in office — above all else .
“ If President Trump accepts [ his election loss ] and Vice President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accept it , ” one attendee , a pastor from California , told the Washington Post .
“ But right now , this is a Godly protest.
” There ’ s no end in sight for Trump ’ s election fraud lies Despite a rapid-fire string of legal defeats at every level of the federal court system , the energy — and money — that has been generated by the president ’ s efforts to overturn the election ’ s results seem to indicate that there ’ s no end in sight for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
What ’ s more , the fervent dedication exhibited by rallygoers Saturday underscores an unfortunate reality : Republicans have an electoral incentive to continue their support of Trump ’ s anti-democratic efforts , in order to escape a primary challenge to the right .
Trump , for his part , has proven completely unwilling to give any ground in his fight to subvert democracy .
As recently as Sunday morning , he tweeted without evidence that the 2020 presidential election , which he lost by more than 7 million votes , was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ HISTORY !
” These tweets have been backed up by action from the Trump campaign and Republican lawmakers , who have failed time and time again to turn up any evidence of voter fraud or other irregularities .
According to Democratic voting-rights lawyer Marc Elias , the president and his supporters are now 1-59 in court , with their most recent loss coming Sunday in Georgia .
The Georgia Supreme Court on Sunday rejected an appeal by the Trump campaign in a case alleging large-scale voter fraud without evidence .
And separately , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lawyer for the Trump campaign Saturday that its election lawsuit challenging the results “ smacks of racism.
” On Friday , the US Supreme Court also rejected for lack of standing a Texas lawsuit attempting to overturn election results in four key swing states won by Biden .
The suit — referred to by Trump as “ the big one ” — was supported by 17 state attorneys general , as well as more than half of the House Republican conference .
With an Electoral College vote imminent on Monday , both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ running out of venues to challenge the election results , but as of Sunday , they show few signs of acknowledging reality .
On Fox News Sunday , House Minority Whip Steve Scalise — the second most powerful Republican in the chamber — again refused to recognize Biden as the president-elect when pressed by anchor Chris Wallace .
Scalise ’ s acknowledgement isn ’ t necessary — the presidential transition has already begun and Biden will be sworn in as president on January 20 .
But it presages a likely fight in Congress @ @ @ @ @ @ @ votes on January 6 — one that Republicans can ’ t win , as Vox ’ s Andrew Prokop explains — and it ’ s an alarming sign in its own right that leaders of one of the country ’ s two major political parties are unwilling to accept the results of a free and fair election .
The GOP ’ s willingness to support Trump in his disinformation campaign could have long-term consequences : In a Saturday Fox News poll , for example , 56 percent of registered voters indicated that Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ weakening American democracy.
” But Trump appears unconcerned about the damage he ’ s doing to the country .
“ WE HAVE JUST BEGUN TO FIGHT !
!
!
” he tweeted Saturday .

Supporters of President Donald Trump demonstrated against the results of the 2020 presidential election on Saturday, in a series of rallies that underscored the hold the president retains on backers both within and outside the Republican Party.
At least two of these protests ultimately became violent — four people were stabbed in Washington, DC, and one person was shot in the city of Olympia, in Washington state. No deaths were reported, though all four stabbing victims are said to be hospitalized in critical condition as of Sunday. As of early Sunday, no information is available about the status of the shooting victim in Washington state.
In addition to the four people who were stabbed, at least five others were hospitalized in DC on Saturday, and more than 20 people were arrested on a variety of charges, including assault. Three people, including the suspected shooter, were arrested in Olympia, according to the Olympian.
Members of the Proud Boys — a violent, neofascist hate group that frequently traffics in white nationalism and misogyny — were also recorded in DC assaulting bystanders and destroying property. Among other incidents, the group tore down Black Lives Matter signs from multiple DC churches, and burned at least one sign.
Proud Boys members ruthlessly assaulting a non-combative couple. Trigger warning: graphic and brutal. pic.twitter.com/Efqh6TvPvK — Strictly (@christoq) December 13, 2020
The Proud Boys were in Washington, DC, for overlapping protests meant to show support for Trump’s false claim that the election was stolen from him. Members of the religious far right, as well as attendees of a second “Million MAGA March” — a sequel to a November event that saw tens of thousands of Trump supporters protest in the capital — all converged on DC.
Saturday’s event was far smaller than the one in November, featuring a few thousand people, but was nevertheless celebrated by the president.
“Wow! Thousands of people forming in Washington (D.C.) for Stop the Steal,” he tweeted Saturday morning. “Didn’t know about this, but I’ll be seeing them!”
Trump later shared video of the rally on Twitter, which showed a tightly packed crowd of maskless supporters cheering on Marine One as it flew overhead.
It was a similar story in Olympia, albeit without any cameos from presidential aircraft, and on a smaller scale. According to the Seattle Times, pro-Trump rallies have become “a regular weekend occurrence at Washington’s Capitol campus,” and Trump supporters clashed with counterprotesters throughout the day Saturday.
Both events came as Trump approaches his sixth week of denying President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election, which took place on November 3, and as the president continues to spread disinformation about the election’s results. Those results will be further cemented Monday, when the Electoral College votes to formally elect Biden.
The rhetoric of the protesters and their leaders, however, suggests that fact will have little influence on false claims the election was stolen from Trump — and that the president’s supporters will remain loyal to him and his alternate-reality claims.
Trump’s rhetoric is emboldening his supporters — and solidifying their support
The events in Washington, DC, featured not just Proud Boys and grassroots activists but an eclectic parade of well-known Trump allies, conspiracy theorists, and grifters, all of whom echoed Trump’s efforts to spread disinformation, encouraged the crowd to continue to reject the results of the election, and made their loyalty to Trump plain.
Recently pardoned former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn told the crowd how important it was to let Trump know “that we love him.” And MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell joined many of the day’s speakers in placing the president’s struggle to overturn the election’s results in a religious context, saying the world may now be in “end times.”
MyPillow guy Mike Lindell ends his speech by claiming we're living in "the end times" but "that's a good thing. Jesus loves you all." pic.twitter.com/bgPX0eqxA8 — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 12, 2020
Lindell also took time during his speech — as the president has done repeatedly in recent days — to call out Republicans who have been insufficiently fervent in their defenses of Trump’s lies about the election, calling them “cowards,” and warning them, “We’re not going anywhere.”
"The Republicans out there that were cowards -- now's your chance! We're not going anywhere." -- Mike Lindell pic.twitter.com/5ZGfccmL0R — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 12, 2020
Other prominent figures went further than Lindell; speaking to a crowd of supporters, Nick Fuentes — a white nationalist leader in a far-right movement that views many Trump allies as insufficiently conservative — said, “We are going to destroy the GOP.”
The crowd responded by chanting, “Destroy the GOP,” and with boos when Fuentes brought up Georgia Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue. Both are running in January special elections, and the GOP’s Senate majority rests on both winning.
Nick Fuentes speaks to a crowd of Trump supporters and gets them chanting “destroy the GOP!” for failing to protect Trump from not getting a second term. pic.twitter.com/AUAqU402Dz — Ford Fischer (@FordFischer) December 12, 2020
Other speakers included Alex Jones — a conspiracy theorist known for harassing the families of mass shooting victims and promoting 9/11 trutherism — and US Representative-elect Bob Good of Virginia, who began his speech by describing the coronavirus as a “phony pandemic,” despite the fact that nearly 300,000 people have now died of Covid-19 in the US.
QAnon, the insane pro-Trump conspiracy theory that posits the existence of a global cabal of Satanic pedophiles, was also represented at the rally.
Across the board, however, Saturday’s rallygoers emphasized their dedication to Trump — and his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and install himself to an unelected second term in office — above all else.
“If President Trump accepts [his election loss] and Vice President Pence accepts it, then we will accept it,” one attendee, a pastor from California, told the Washington Post. “But right now, this is a Godly protest.”
There’s no end in sight for Trump’s election fraud lies
Despite a rapid-fire string of legal defeats at every level of the federal court system, the energy — and money — that has been generated by the president’s efforts to overturn the election’s results seem to indicate that there’s no end in sight for Trump’s false election fraud rhetoric.
What’s more, the fervent dedication exhibited by rallygoers Saturday underscores an unfortunate reality: Republicans have an electoral incentive to continue their support of Trump’s anti-democratic efforts, in order to escape a primary challenge to the right.
Trump, for his part, has proven completely unwilling to give any ground in his fight to subvert democracy. As recently as Sunday morning, he tweeted without evidence that the 2020 presidential election, which he lost by more than 7 million votes, was the “MOST CORRUPT ELECTION IN U.S. HISTORY!”
These tweets have been backed up by action from the Trump campaign and Republican lawmakers, who have failed time and time again to turn up any evidence of voter fraud or other irregularities. According to Democratic voting-rights lawyer Marc Elias, the president and his supporters are now 1-59 in court, with their most recent loss coming Sunday in Georgia.
The Georgia Supreme Court on Sunday rejected an appeal by the Trump campaign in a case alleging large-scale voter fraud without evidence.
And separately, a Wisconsin state Supreme Court justice told a lawyer for the Trump campaign Saturday that its election lawsuit challenging the results “smacks of racism.”
On Friday, the US Supreme Court also rejected for lack of standing a Texas lawsuit attempting to overturn election results in four key swing states won by Biden. The suit — referred to by Trump as “the big one” — was supported by 17 state attorneys general, as well as more than half of the House Republican conference.
With an Electoral College vote imminent on Monday, both Trump and the Republican establishment are quickly running out of venues to challenge the election results, but as of Sunday, they show few signs of acknowledging reality. On Fox News Sunday, House Minority Whip Steve Scalise — the second most powerful Republican in the chamber — again refused to recognize Biden as the president-elect when pressed by anchor Chris Wallace.
Steve Scalise, who supported Trump's effort to disenfranchise millions of Biden voters for no good reason, won't commit to recognizing Joe Biden as President-elect even after the Electoral College votes pic.twitter.com/rlrIqw8OcS — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 13, 2020
Scalise’s acknowledgement isn’t necessary — the presidential transition has already begun and Biden will be sworn in as president on January 20. But it presages a likely fight in Congress over the official counting of Electoral College votes on January 6 — one that Republicans can’t win, as Vox’s Andrew Prokop explains — and it’s an alarming sign in its own right that leaders of one of the country’s two major political parties are unwilling to accept the results of a free and fair election.
The GOP’s willingness to support Trump in his disinformation campaign could have long-term consequences: In a Saturday Fox News poll, for example, 56 percent of registered voters indicated that Trump’s continued refusal to concede was “weakening American democracy.”
But Trump appears unconcerned about the damage he’s doing to the country. “WE HAVE JUST BEGUN TO FIGHT!!!” he tweeted Saturday.


vox--2020-12-13--SNL explains the nation’s crush on Anthony Fauci in a vaccine-focused cold open

For December 12 ’ s Saturday Night Live cold open , CNN ’ s Wolf Blitzer , played by Beck Bennett , addressed the topic on everyone ’ s minds : The recently authorized Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine .
Bennett ’ s Blitzer — who introduced himself as “ an indoor man with an outdoor name ” — opened the show with news of the Food and Drug Administration ’ s decision to issue an emergency use authorization ( EUA ) for the vaccine before introducing White House coronavirus task force members Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx .
“ It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bennett quipped of the vaccine .
“ Everybody wants it , nobody can get it , and if you ’ re rich , you already had it a month ago.
” Fauci — played this time by SNL ’ s Kate McKinnon rather than by Brad Pitt — confirmed the good news for Blitzer and announced his decision to join the Biden administration as a chief medical adviser in addition to his current role as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases .
“ And I think I ’ ll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gardner ’ s Birx , whose real-world position in the Biden administration is less certain , chimed in .
“ Remember when Trump said to inject bleach ... and I almost whispered , ‘ No ’ ?
” Bennett pressed the pair — who he dubbed “ the American Gothic of the whole coronavirus situation ” — on vaccine logistics , distribution priorities , and more .
“ We ’ re doing this vaccine World War II-style , ” McKinnon said as Fauci .
“ We made England ” — which began vaccinations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , see what ’ s what , and then we swoop in at the end and steal the spotlight.
” McKinnon also gave poor marks to the federal vaccine plan , telling Bennett that “ this president has done about as good a job with this rollout as I did throwing out that first pitch at the Nationals game.
” In July , a Fauci first pitch went badly askew — which he said at the time was because he spent too long practicing before throwing out the pitch .
After Bennett aired @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s pitch , Gardner tried to cheer McKinnon up .
“ It ’ s okay , little guy , ” she said .
“ We all mess up sometime .
You threw the ball wrong , I didn ’ t say , ‘ Don ’ t drink the bleach.
’ It happens !
” Throughout the skit , McKinnon was also barraged with thrown bras , a phenomenon which she explained as common because “ throughout this whole thing I ’ ve been the only one saying facts , so some people got @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pair offered a variety of regionally tailored vaccine distribution strategies .
“ In New Orleans we ’ re tossing the vaccines up to balconies like Mardi Gras beads , ” McKinnon said , and Gardner told Bennett that “ North Carolina ’ s vaccine will be vinegar-based , while South Carolina ’ s will be mustard-based.
” New York , meanwhile , will get vaccine vials that are “ very thin on the bottom , ” in contrast to Chicago ’ s “ deep dish ” vials .
After another bra-throwing event — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me ” — McKinnon explained her hopes for the vaccine to close the segment .
“ If enough Americans get this vaccine , you ’ ll all forget who I am , ” she said .
“ That ’ s my goal , to have zero name recognition with Americans because that means I ’ ll have done my job well .
I want to go back to being an anonymous hunk .
”

For December 12’s Saturday Night Live cold open, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, played by Beck Bennett, addressed the topic on everyone’s minds: The recently authorized Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine.
Bennett’s Blitzer — who introduced himself as “an indoor man with an outdoor name” — opened the show with news of the Food and Drug Administration’s decision to issue an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the vaccine before introducing White House coronavirus task force members Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx.
“It’s just like the PS5,” Bennett quipped of the vaccine. “Everybody wants it, nobody can get it, and if you’re rich, you already had it a month ago.”
Fauci — played this time by SNL’s Kate McKinnon rather than by Brad Pitt — confirmed the good news for Blitzer and announced his decision to join the Biden administration as a chief medical adviser in addition to his current role as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
“And I think I’ll be joining as well,” Heidi Gardner’s Birx, whose real-world position in the Biden administration is less certain, chimed in. “Remember when Trump said to inject bleach ... and I almost whispered, ‘No’?”
Bennett pressed the pair — who he dubbed “the American Gothic of the whole coronavirus situation” — on vaccine logistics, distribution priorities, and more.
“We’re doing this vaccine World War II-style,” McKinnon said as Fauci. “We made England” — which began vaccinations on Tuesday — “go in first, see what’s what, and then we swoop in at the end and steal the spotlight.”
McKinnon also gave poor marks to the federal vaccine plan, telling Bennett that “this president has done about as good a job with this rollout as I did throwing out that first pitch at the Nationals game.”
In July, a Fauci first pitch went badly askew — which he said at the time was because he spent too long practicing before throwing out the pitch.
Dr. Anthony Fauci threw out the first pitch before the Nationals-Yankees game. pic.twitter.com/04Tbkh7Voa — ESPN (@espn) July 23, 2020
After Bennett aired a clip of the real-world Fauci’s pitch, Gardner tried to cheer McKinnon up.
“It’s okay, little guy,” she said. “We all mess up sometime. You threw the ball wrong, I didn’t say, ‘Don’t drink the bleach.’ It happens!”
Throughout the skit, McKinnon was also barraged with thrown bras, a phenomenon which she explained as common because “throughout this whole thing I’ve been the only one saying facts, so some people got a crush on me.”
And the pair offered a variety of regionally tailored vaccine distribution strategies.
“In New Orleans we’re tossing the vaccines up to balconies like Mardi Gras beads,” McKinnon said, and Gardner told Bennett that “North Carolina’s vaccine will be vinegar-based, while South Carolina’s will be mustard-based.”
(There’s a longstanding schism between the Carolinas when it comes to vinegar- and mustard-based BBQ sauces.)
New York, meanwhile, will get vaccine vials that are “very thin on the bottom,” in contrast to Chicago’s “deep dish” vials.
After another bra-throwing event — and an off-screen scream of “marry me” — McKinnon explained her hopes for the vaccine to close the segment.
“If enough Americans get this vaccine, you’ll all forget who I am,” she said. “That’s my goal, to have zero name recognition with Americans because that means I’ll have done my job well. I want to go back to being an anonymous hunk.”